


Speculation, Speculation

by todolist



Series: working hard (hardly working) [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn, everyone's dumb but that's why they're great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2019-11-14 07:24:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 117,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18048149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/todolist/pseuds/todolist
Summary: The newly assigned HR rep might just be the death of Ten.(Or, Ten realizes that he has a second chance with the one that got away. And he'll be damned before he lets Johnny Seo go again)





	1. bets are placed, Ten mopes, and a newcomer infiltrates the ranks

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to post this because Only Traces Until Ashes Remain is being such a bitch to write and I needed a break from the angst. So here's my second Johnten fic, and I can promise that it's considerably less angsty than Chase After the Clock Hands. I consider this to be the product of me blasting T-ARA's "What's my Name" on repeat and watching a few episodes of The Office. Enjoy!

“I think my intern wants to fuck yours.”

Seungwan doesn’t even glance up from her spreadsheet. “Why, hello Ten, how are you this morning?” She replies dryly. “How was traffic this morning? I thought it was busy, but not too bad. Oh wait, you wouldn’t know because you can’t drive. How was the subway traffic, then?”

“Wow, noona,” Ten rolls his eyes. “Love you, too.”

“I’m _busy_ ,” Seungwan briefly looks up to stick her tongue out, then goes back to inputting numbers on her computer. “Don’t you have electronics or something to sell right now?”

Ten shrugs as he, very maturely, plops down to sit cross-legged on the floor. “Probably, but it’s not like Sunyoung-noona isn’t demolishing the sales by herself. I can afford to take a quick break.”

“And how long has this break lasted for?” Seungwan raises a skeptical brow.

“Shut up.”

Seungwan laughs, her tough facade immediately vanishing. “So what were you saying about our interns? Yours has a crush on mine?”

“Mmhmm,” Ten grins conspiratorially. Quickly, he surveys the scene of the office before pointing to two unsuspecting, fresh out of college interns standing together at the printer. “Just look at the way Jeno stares at him! I can’t tell if he’s whipped or just thirsty, but I bet they’ll end up fucking at some point.”

“Isn’t it a little wrong for us to be speculating about our interns’ sex lives?” Seungwan deadpans.

Ten thinks about it for a second before shrugging again. “Yeah, probably. But you say that like this whole office isn’t already fucked up.”

Seungwan hums in agreement. “You bring up a valid point,” she grins. Ripping a piece of paper off her notepad, she picks up her pen and says, “Alright then, the bet is on. How long will it take Na Jaemin, accounting intern, and Lee Jeno, sales intern, to sleep together?”

“A month, tops,” Ten replies immediately.

Out of nowhere, Yuta’s head pops up from behind Seungwan’s desk. “Nah, it’ll be three,” he disagrees. “Jeno’s too shy to actually confess; Jaemin would have to make the first move and it doesn’t look like he’s into Jeno like that yet.”

Ten recoils back in shock. “Where the fuck did you just come from?” He demands angrily.

Seungwan, meanwhile, doesn’t seem fazed at all. She merely nods as she scribbles down Yuta’s prediction below Ten’s, pursing her lips in thought. “If Jeno’s already this obvious only two weeks into the internship, then it shouldn’t be too long before something happens. I’m giving it a month a half,” she decides as she adds her prediction to the list. “Anyone else want to wager a bet?”

“I say two,” Jongdae’s voice rings out. The assistant manager casually props his arms against Seungwan’s cubicle as he adds, “And Sunyoung’s throwing money down on two months, too. We’re betting together.”

“How domestic,” Yuta teases.

That remark earns him an elbow to the ribs. “Says the one who’ll be forever alone because he can’t tell the receptionist how he feels,” Jongdae retorts.

Immediately, Yuta’s ears turn pink. “Shhh!” He hisses, nervously glancing over to the front desk where Sicheng, thankfully, doesn’t appear to have heard anything. “I’m just not ready to tell him how I feel, okay! Isn’t it better not to rush things?”

Ten smirks. “Dude, you’re so obvious I bet he already knows without you telling him. Might as well just confess.”

“Should we make a separate bet for when Yuta finally confesses to Sicheng?” Jongdae suggests, scratching his chin in thought.

“Don’t worry, we’ve already got one,” Seungwan grins as she opens one of her filing cabinets and pulls out a manila folder. “Sunyoung-unnie put down a bet for the both of you, actually. She thinks Yuta will finally do it by September, but Sooyoung says January. Ten and Taeil both think October.”

Yuta snatches the paper out of her hands and inspects it. “Why the fuck does it just say ‘laughs maniacally and walks away’ next to Doyoung’s name? What does that even mean?” He demands in outrage.

“Exactly what it says,” Ten explains, unable to conceal his laughter. “He says you’ll never be brave enough to and will rot away forever alone. By the way things are going, he may just end up being the winner.”

“I take great offense to this bet,” Yuta grumbles under his breath.

Jongdae scrunches his eyebrows together. “I feel like as assistant manager, I should be discouraging this type of behavior,” he muses out loud.

“If it makes you feel better, we had a bet about you, too,” Seungwan supplies helpfully. She digs through the folder until she triumphantly pulls out a blue sheet of paper. “‘How long will it take Kim Jongdae, assistant manager, to propose to Park Sunyoung, top saleswoman?’ Chanyeol-oppa ended up winning that one.”

“ _He_ placed a bet on me?”

Ten frowns in confusion. “I don’t remember this ever happening? Why wasn’t I invited to the bet?”

Yuta rolls his eyes and jabs Ten in the side. “Because it happened six months before you started working here, dumbass. Back then it was just me, Seungwan-noona, Sunyoung-noona, Jongdae-hyung, and Taeil-hyung working here. It was before you and Baekhyun-hyung joined.”

“Wow,” Ten remarks, impressed. “You’ve really been here a long time, huh, Yuta-hyung? How old are you again?”

“I’m literally a year older than you!” Yuta snaps, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“So what other bets have there been?” Ten asks with interest, purposefully ignoring Yuta’s irritated grumbling. He leans closer and starts flipping through Seungwan’s papers. “Huh, here’s one from two years ago. ‘Between the engaged couple consisting of Park Sunyoung, top saleswoman, and Kim Jongdae, assistant manager, who will be the bridezilla of the wedding?’ Hey, but everyone put down Jongdae-hyung!”

“Ah, yes,” Seungwan nods, sighing wistfully. “That bet was scrapped because of its unanimous nature. But Jongdae-oppa really was the bridezilla in the end.”

Jongdae shoots her a dirty look. “Excuse me,” he glares.

“You found out that table thirteen had one fewer rose than the others, screamed like a goddamn banshee, threatened to sue the florists, and made Chanyeol-oppa run all the way to the nearest store to buy a singular flower,” Seungwan raises a challenging brow.

That effectively shuts Jongdae up.

Ten, meanwhile, continues rifling through the old bets. Some of them range back to six or seven years ago—a testament of Seungwan’s incredible organization and note taking skills. They range from silly ( _Can Moon Taeil, customer relations, successfully throw his used coffee cup into the trash all the way from his desk?_ ) to semi-serious ( _How long will it take until Kim Doyoung, tech support, finagles his way up to this office?)_ to slightly more concerning issues ( _Will Park Chanyeol, manager, ever date again after the clean divorce?_ ). Ten even sees his name a few times ( _How much will Ten, salesman, cry when Nakamoto Yuta, salesman, inevitably spoils the end of Goblin?)_ , but there’s one bet he’s surprised hasn’t already been made.

“Hey, why don’t we bet on how long it takes for Chanyeol-hyung to notice Baekhyun-hyung’s feelings?” Ten grins deviously.

Without a second’s hesitation, Jongdae reaches over and flicks him on the forehead. _Hard_. “Now that’s something we won’t be doing,” he states firmly.

“Huh?” Ten blinks in surprise. “I don’t see what’s wrong with that? I mean, we make plenty of bets on couples or people confessing, so—”

“Ten,” Jongdae eyes him with a steely, dead serious expression. “Drop it.”

Ten still doesn’t get what’s going on or why Jongdae’s so opposed to the idea of this bet, but he decides that it’s better not to argue with his superior. Jongdae’s pretty relaxed and easygoing as it is, so if he’s annoyed about something then it must be pretty serious. Besides, he’s always been extra protective over secretary and best friend Baekhyun, so Ten supposes Jongdae has his reasons.

Jongdae sighs, and suddenly he’s back to his usual kindhearted, smiling self. “Anyway, I got sidetracked. Gotta drop off these reports to Baekhyun or else Chanyeol will have my head. Keep me updated on the bet.”

As Jongdae strides over to the secretary’s desk, Ten turns to Yuta and Seungwan with a questioning look. “What was that about?”

Yuta shrugs, equally as confused. “Beats me. He’s always been like that—normal and everything if you talk about anything else, but all protective mama bear if you say anything that could possibly offend Baekhyun-hyung.”

“I got nothing, either,” Seungwan supplies unhelpfully. “But anyway; so are we all done placing our bets on Jeno and Jaemin?”

All thoughts of Jongdae and Baekhyun immediately disappearing, Ten sneaks another glance over to where the two adorable interns are still standing by the printer, Jeno’s ears pink as he bashfully says something that makes Jaemin laugh.

“Change mine to three weeks,” Ten decides.

 

Three years after graduating from college, Ten eventually found his way over to Taeng&Co, a company founded by businesswoman Kim Taeyeon. She’d started off as an independent crafter of dog toys before developing an interest in household electronics and cleaning supplies. She’d managed to start a company and quickly rose up the social ladder as the business swelled. Now, a decade later, Taeng&Co was still thriving and well with locations all across the country. 

Ten had graduated from university with a degree in marketing. He’d gone from job to job—mostly working for small, independently owned businesses—before getting the job at Taeng&Co’s Seoul location. After only a few months, he’d been promoted to work for the exclusive, specialized team on the top floor. That’s where he’s been for the past two years, and he’s never looked back.

Still in his early thirties yet highly successful, regional manager Park Chanyeol hand-picked a small team to work with. Assistant manager Kim Jongdae did a very good job of keeping the whole team in check. His wife, Park Sunyoung, had entered the company at the same time as him, but she’d actually been selected for Chanyeol’s team before Jongdae became a superior. She was by far the best in sales, with her numbers often staggering over the others’. Ten shared the same cubicle setup with her and Yuta, as they all worked in sales. Seungwan was the only accountant in the team. Then there were Taeil and Park Sooyoung in customer relations and Dong Sicheng served as the trusty receptionist. Two years ago, Chanyeol had finally hired a secretary in Byun Baekhyun. Then a few months later, Kim Doyoung of tech support finessed his way out of the tech floor and joined the team. Why the team needed their own tech person, Ten will never know. But at least Doyoung made things fun.

The team was…dysfunctional, to say the least. Ten, Yuta, and Doyoung spent more time goofing around than actually doing work, but when they needed to they were completely serious and adept at their jobs. Seungwan, despite seeming more mature on the outside, was just as immature as them and always participated in making bets (she also won most of them, but that’s not what’s important). Although he’s good at making sure the others do their work, Jongdae’s not that strict of an assistant manager. And Chanyeol, the lovely, kind-tempered regional manager is too nice scold his team.

But despite all the chaos, the team _works_. No matter how much it seems like they slack off, every member of the team is incredibly organized and sharp-minded. CEO Taeyeon once remarked that the Seoul branch was by far the most productive, and that’s mostly thanks to Chanyeol’s personal team. So really, it didn’t matter that they were dysfunctional—they’re one big dysfunctional _family_ , and that’s what makes it so great.

 

“I can’t believe you’re betting on your interns now,” Taeyong scolds through the phone. “They’re practically children! Let them be, you degenerate.”

Ten rolls his eyes even though he knows Taeyong can’t see him. “They’re twenty-three, Yong,” he points out. Shifting the phone between his ear and shoulder so he can use both hands to crack open some rosé, Ten adds, “And besides, you should see the way Jeno stares at Jaemin. That’s the thickest one-sided sexual tension I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Oh really?”

Ten can literally hear the smirk in Taeyong’s voice. “What really?” He demands, dread pooling in his stomach as he already knows what’s coming next.

“More than the one-sided sexual tension you had for Johnny Seo? Sounds fake but okay.”

Damn. He fucking called it.

“Shut up,” Ten groans. He takes a swig straight from the bottle and replies with, “You’re never gonna let that go, are you? It’s been six years, man.”

“Nope,” Taeyong responds gleefully.

Ten hears a deep voice in the background. “Is Jaehyun calling for you?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Taeyong says. “He just finished making dinner, so I should probably go. I’ll talk to you later?”

Ten tries his best to not visibly deflate. “Yeah,” he sighs, downing another long sip of the rosé. “That’s fine.”

There’s a brief moment of hesitation on the other end before Taeyong lets out a long exhale. “I’m really sorry about this, Tennie,” he apologizes, regret coating every word. “I miss you and Seoul a lot, but I really like it here and moving was the right decision.”

“I know it is,” Ten replies hurriedly. “There was no reason for you to turn down that offer! It just kind of sucks that all of a sudden you’re not across the hall anymore. I miss both you and Jaehyun a lot.”

“Hey, we’ll be coming back to visit in a couple weeks,” Taeyong points out. “And besides, at least you still have Yuta and the others. And it sounds like you’re still having a lot of fun at work, so that’s good.”

“Yeah,” Ten agrees softly, studying the wine bottle.

“I really do have to go now, but I’ll call you back the same time tomorrow. Skype?”

“Definitely.”

After hanging up, Ten sighs and tosses his phone to the side. It’s only been two months since Taeyong and Jaehyun moved to Jeonju, but to Ten it’s felt like an eternity. Maybe he’s being a little overdramatic, but it’s not easy losing your best friend of nine years. 

It’s not like he’s codependent on Taeyong or anything, but it’s strange that suddenly the center of his support system has been ripped away. Jeonju’s not even that far, but two hours feels like a mountain compared to a quick dash across the hall. 

Ten and Taeyong first met when they both joined the dance team freshman year, and then they were roommates for the rest of university. They were even planning on sharing an apartment after graduation, but then Jung Jaehyun happened.

Tall, dimpled smile, and fit, Jaehyun had waltzed into dance tryouts and stunned the dance captains not just by his moves, but by his effortless charm. Then-senior Ten had been impressed, but Taeyong had been downright whipped at first sight. Surprising no one, Jaehyun made the dance team and the rest of the year consisted of Taeyong shyly flirting with him before finally having the guts to ask him out some time in the spring. And the rest was history.

Ten likes Jaehyun, he really does. The guy’s sweet and a great boyfriend (now _fiancé_ ) to Taeyong, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s hot, too. Call him childish for this, but Ten can’t help but feel a little jealous when he sees the way Jaehyun and Taeyong have so seamlessly fit into each other’s lives. They’re like the same halves of one whole or whatever that cliché expression is. They found each other relatively early, and everyone knows that those two are meant to be. They’ve found their happy endings already.

Meanwhile, Ten’s love life—or lack thereof—has been rather pathetic in comparison. And for that, he’d like to blame Johnny Seo.

But that’s a story for another day.

Ten’s phone vibrates, and he already knows that it’s his group chat with his roughly same-aged friends from the team. With another long sigh, he takes one last sip of the rosé and savors it before setting the bottle aside. Bracing himself for just about anything, he picks up his phone and reads the messages.

_Kim Doyoung: Okay so who the fuck_

_Kim Doyoung: Ratted us out to corporate?_

_Park Sooyoung: Why would we get ratted out?_

_Moon Taeil: Not me_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Huh?_

_Kim Doyoung: Was it you, Ten? I never trusted you you little bitch._

_Ten: Excuse me?_

_Son Seungwan: Boys, let’s be civil right now._

_Son Seungwan: What’s going on, Doyoung?_

_Kim Doyoung: WELL NOONA_

_Kim Doyoung: HERE’S WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON_

_Moon Taeil: Should I get some popcorn first?_

_Kim Doyoung: Shut up hyung_

_Kim Doyoung: Anyway_

_Kim Doyoung: Chanyeol-hyung called me into his office today and told me that corporate’s sending an HR rep to work with the team._

_Kim Doyoung: Which means that I may have to be moved back down to the tech support floor to let this HR dude have a desk_

_Park Sooyoung: HR? What’s up with that?_

_Kim Doyoung: The only reason I can think of is that corporate caught wind of how dysfunctional we are and now they’re sending a rep down to keep us in line._

_Kim Doyoung: So who the fuck ratted us out? I thought we swore that what happens in the office stays in the office?_

_Ten: Dons maybe it was Chanyeol-hyung who_ asked _for an HR rep because he’s tired of our bullshit._

_Son Seungwan: Don’t kid yourself; he of all people wouldn’t do that._

_Nakamoto Yuta: Jongdae-hyung, then?_

_Dong Sicheng: Maybe we shouldn’t be pointing fingers at each other???_

_Nakamoto Yuta: You’re right Sicheng forgive me for I have sinned._

_Park Sooyoung: ANYWAY. Is losing Doyoung really a bad thing though?_

_Kim Doyoung: EXCUSE ME???!!!_

_Son Seungwan: She has a point._

_Kim Doyoung: I hate everyone._

_Ten: The feeling’s mutual._

_Kim Doyoung: Wow fuck all of you_

_Kim Doyoung: I never should’ve left the second floor_

 

Ten laughs and sets his phone down again. In all seriousness though, it is a bit strange that corporate is suddenly sending an HR rep to the team. Sure the team is dysfunctional, but also the most successful team in the most successful branch of Taeng&Co. He doubts anyone would’ve snitched and demanded for HR to intervene, but it’s beyond him why they’ve been dealt this fate.

But whatever. It’s just an HR rep. He or she will probably be gone in a few months, and then the team can go back to being as chaotic as usual. It just means they’ll have to keep all the bets subtle for now. What’s the worst that could happen?

 

“Morning!”

Everyone stares back at Chanyeol with a blank expression.

Deflating just the slightest, Chanyeol holds on to his smile as he says, “Look, I’m sure you’ve all heard by now about the HR rep coming in. Thanks, Doyoung.”

Doyoung grumbles something noncommittal under his breath.

Chanyeol’s smile begins to falter just the slightest. “Okay, first of all this wasn’t my decision,” he explains, holding his hands up in the air in defense. “I got an email from the CEO a few days ago saying that she thinks we need to work on our professionalism a bit. Said we’ve got the sales and good ratings to prove ourselves, but that it’s a bit concerning to see how chaotic we are. So she’s just sending this guy down for a year—“

Yuta’s jaw drops. “A _year_?” He demands incredulously.

Over to the side, Doyoung collapses on top of his treasured desk he’d quite literally clawed his way up to.

“Trust me, she wanted him here for two but I convinced her otherwise,” Chanyeol nods grimly. “But it’s just a year! It’ll pass by fast and then we won’t have to see him again. So yes, I know it’s not ideal, but I think we’d all like to keep our jobs so we should listen to the boss.”

With renewed vigor, Chanyeol turns to Doyoung and says, “And good news, Doyoung!”

Immediately, Doyoung leaps up in excitement. “I get to stay? This desk is still mine?”

Once again, Chanyeol’s grin falters. “Well,” he begins sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yes and no. You’re still on the team, but I gotta give your desk to the HR guy. You’ll have to move to the cubicles in sales.”

“Oh fuck no,” Doyoung says at the exact same time Ten and Yuta say, “Fuck yes,” in unison.

Jongdae whacks the three of them on the backs of their heads all in a row. “Take it or leave it, boys,” Sunyoung sings teasingly.

“What did I ever do to deserve this?” Doyoung moans, dramatically clutching his head and dropping to his knees.

By this point, Chanyeol’s smile is so strained it can barely pass for one anymore. “Well, I’d say that went fairly smoothly,” he nods awkwardly. 

Beside him, Baekhyun ducks his head down to cover his affectionate smile. As usual, everyone except Chanyeol notices.

“Anyway, let’s get back to work,” Chanyeol clears his throat, still hanging on to his now pained grimace. “The new guy won’t be coming for a few days, so go at it until then. Enjoy your desk while it lasts, Doyoung.”

Doyoung responds with yet another groan.

 

“Quit whining so much,” Seungwan scowls. “I can’t concentrate on these numbers with those noises you’re making.”

Ten, once again not in his cubicle, suppresses a laugh as he watches Doyoung lie flat on his back on the questionably clean carpet. “Let him be, noona. He’ll go through enough hell sharing the same space as me and Yuta-hyung for the next year,” he grins mischievously.

Doyoung flips him off, which Ten just ignores.

Over at the sales cubicles, a mop of black hair pops up from over Ten’s desk. “Um, hyung?” Jeno, Ten’s beloved intern, nervously raises a hand. “Are you sure I’m allowed to take calls?”

“Why not?” Ten flippantly waves a hand in Jeno’s general direction. “You’re a smart kid! Go for it!”

Jeno hesitates. “Um…”

Exasperated, Sunyoung reaches out and snags the phone from Ten’s desk. And she’s already on her own phone, too—Sunyoung truly is a master saleswoman. As she expertly manages the two calls at once, Ten wonders why Jeno wasn’t assigned to her instead. He’d probably learn a hell of a lot more that way.

Sunyoung lowers the receiver of both phones and shoos Jeno away. “Go play with the others, I can handle this,” she insists, giving him a light push in the back.

Ten watches in amusement as Jeno stumbles over, his cheeks growing progressively pinker as he nears Seungwan’s cubicle— _Jaemin’s_ cubicle, too. The accounting intern seems oblivious to all the noise around him, diligently writing numbers down by hand and then plugging them into his spreadsheets. When Jeno nervously calls Jaemin’s name, the latter looks up in surprise and gives him a blinding grin.

And, naturally, Jeno malfunctions and trips over a Doyoung lying on the floor.

“Oh!” Jaemin exclaims in shock. He jumps out of his seat and hurries over to inspect the fellow intern. “Are you hurt? What happened? Why’d you just trip like that?”

“I’m all good,” Jeno responds dreamily. Ten can literally see the stars in Jeno’s eyes as he stares up at Jaemin.

“Well _I’m_ not fine but I see nobody’s asking,” Doyoung harumphs from his position on the floor.

“Maybe if you weren’t a roadblock we’d care about you more!” Ten shouts.

Doyoung flips him off again. As usual, Ten ignores him.

Jongdae, who’d just ambled back in with a cup of coffee from the break room, pauses to survey the pandemonium. “Should I even ask?”

“Nope,” Seungwan shakes her head. “I’ve stopped asking a long time ago and I think it’s better that way.”

“I see,” Jongdae nods skeptically. He observes the scene with a raised brow and says, “I guess this is how we’re coping with the news, huh?”

“Yup,” Ten agrees.

Jongdae squints over in the direction of the sales cubicles. “Why is Sunyoung talking to three phones at once?”

Sure enough, the legend herself has upgraded from two to three phones. She switches between them like a juggler, expertly saying a few sentences before switching to the next. Sunyoung once told Ten that she’s been doing this job for so long that she can predict exactly what people are going to say, and it sure looks like that’s the truth. She doesn’t miss a beat as she picks up and drops each conversation, her face perfectly calm and unfazed throughout it all.

But, Ten realizes, if Sunyoung’s manning three phones at once, then that must mean Yuta’s not at his desk. And if Yuta’s not at his desk and isn’t here with Ten and Seungwan, then there’s only one place he could be.

Ten glances over at the front desk. “Because Yuta’s busy flirting?”

Seungwan snorts. “You mean he’s trying to flirt.”

To no one’s surprise, Yuta’s leaning over the receptionist’s desk in a way that he must think looks cool and suave when in reality he just looks awkward. He’s got his face practically shoved up in Sicheng’s personal space as the dutiful receptionist types away at his computer. By the looks of it, Yuta’s saying something that’s somewhere between flirty and creepy, but Sicheng is barely paying him any attention. 

“Sometimes I feel like the only responsible ones here are Taeil and Sooyoung,” Jongdae remarks to no one in particular.

“You sure about that?” Ten points out with a knowing smirk.

Jongdae thinks about it for a second. “You’re right,” he sighs, regretfully taking a sip of his coffee.

Although Taeil and Sooyoung are the least likely to get involved with Ten, Yuta, and Seungwan’s shenanigans, they’re not exactly innocent themselves. Sooyoung, as it turns out, is a prankster who’s always got some trick up her sleeve, and Taeil is more than capable of a snarky remark every now and then. While they’re both quiet and mostly keep to themselves as they work in customer relations, everyone knows that they're a force to be reckoned with. Jongdae himself knows that well enough after the time Sooyoung glued all of his supplies to his desk and when Taeil sassed him for showing up to work with a poorly disguised hickey.

“Well,” Jongdae shakes his head in amusement. “Guess there’s nothing I can do but lean in.”

“Damn right,” Seungwan agrees. 

Jongdae’s about to head over to his own desk when he stops and backtracks. “Oh, I almost forgot. You mind babysitting Sunday night, Seungwan? Sunyoung’s parents are dragging us out for dinner and Yerim’s still a little too young.”

“Gotcha,” Seungwan salutes.

Ten frowns. “Hey! How come you never ask me to babysit anymore? I’m great with kids and Yerim loves me!”

Jongdae throws him an unimpressed look. “You set the smoke detectors off because you were so busy playing with her you forget you were cooking dinner,” he deadpans. “Sorry, but you’ve got to earn more brownie points with me before I let you babysit again.”

Ten opens to mouth to protest, but Jongdae’s already walking away and he supposes it’s fair enough. 

Jaemin’s still fussing over Jeno, who doesn’t seem to mind the attention at all. Meanwhile, Doyoung continues letting out pained groans as he curls in a fetal position on the floor and Yuta’s valiant efforts at flirting are ignored again by Sicheng. Sunyoung’s back to just one phone, but then Yuta’s rings again and she’s immediately on it. Taeil and Sooyoung are also on the phone at their desks.

At that moment, Chanyeol exits his personal office and says something to Baekhyun, whose desk is right outside Chanyeol’s space. It only takes a few words for Baekhyun to jump out of his seat and follow Chanyeol to the break room, eyes wide and adoring like a happy puppy.

“I still don’t get it,” Ten speaks up, eyes following the manager and his secretary. “He’s had a crush on Chanyeol-hyung for what, two years now? We joined the team at the same time and Chanyeol still hasn’t picked up on his feelings?”

Seungwan, who’s put her glasses back on and returned to her spreadsheets, just shrugs. “It’s definitely not ideal for either of them,” she agrees. “You gotta feel for Baekhyun because he obviously really likes him, but it’s hard to get mad at Chanyeol when he’s naturally oblivious to feelings. Besides, I don’t think he’s dated anyone since the divorce. He probably isn’t even looking for a relationship.”

Ten purses his lips. Now, Baekhyun’s staring dreamily at Chanyeol’s back as the latter makes tea. When Chanyeol offers him a cup, Baekhyun looks even more smitten than usual.

As far as Ten knows, Chanyeol and Jongdae both started off in HR together in their early twenties. Then, they rose the ranks together and Chanyeol successfully applied for the manager position. He later appointed Jongdae as his assistant manager. Apparently Jongdae and Baekhyun have been best friends since diaper days, so when Chanyeol expressed the need for a secretary to keep things organized, Jongdae proposed he give Baekhyun a try. Ten doesn’t know much about Baekhyun as a person, but he’s sweet and performs his secretary duties perfectly. And, of course, the fact that he’s had the biggest, least subtle crush on Chanyeol since day one. Everyone except Chanyeol himself knows that.

The problem is, Chanyeol hasn’t always been single. Far from it, in fact. He got married to his college sweetheart early, and when Baekhyun was hired Kyungsoo was still around. Having realized that they were better off as friends, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo mutually filed for divorce a year ago and remained close. The last Ten’s heard, Kyungsoo relocated to his hometown in Goyang but still visits Seoul every now and then to catch up with his friends—including Chanyeol. Chanyeol hasn’t been in a relationship since the divorce, but he doesn’t seem too pressed by the matter. Which, of course, puts Baekhyun in a rather strange position.

“You sure we can’t make a bet about them?” Ten wonders out loud.

A long-nailed finger flicks him on the forehead. “No, you can’t,” Sunyoung declares authoritatively. She’s standing with her arms crossed and weight shifted to one side, brow lifted as she adds, “And I’m going on break now, so you’d better get back to work. Drag Yuta and Jeno back, too—unless you want to manage three phones at once, that is.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ten agrees hastily.

 

_Kim Doyoung: Well, this is it motherfuckers._

_Kim Doyoung: Today was my last day at my desk. It’s truly the end of an era._

_Moon Taeil: Dons, it’s really not that serious. Calm down._

_Kim Doyoung: That’s impossible._

_Nakamoto Yuta: It’s really not. Just suck it up._

_Dong Sicheng: For once I agree with Yuta-hyung._

_Kim Doyoung: I feel attacked._

_Ten: Well you did just lose your desk soooooo_

_Son Seungwan: Glad we can always count on you to egg him on, Ten._

_Ten: That’s what I’m here for._

_Park Sooyoung: Didn’t you once say that you’re here to be the ‘token sexy twenty-seven year old Thai twink’?_

_Moon Taeil: Lord_

_Ten: That…might have happened…_

_Park Sooyoung: What the hell does that even mean?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: It means he’s trying to inflate his ego in order to hide his crippling insecurities._

_Ten: Okay now I feel attacked._

 

“You look even less productive than usual,” Yuta remarks with a shit-eating grin.

Ten resists the urge to flip him off. “Shut up. I’m sad now because I can’t keep on depending on Sunyoung-noona to cover my phone,” he grumbles.

Seungwan scoffs. “Come on, it won’t be that bad. Who knows, HR guy might end up being just as weird as the rest of us.”

She perks up and tilts her head in the direction of Chanyeol’s private office. “Speaking of whom, he’s here right now, actually. I saw him walk in like ten minutes ago.”

Yuta glances over in interest. Chanyeol’s office walls are glass, but they’re tinted an opaque dark blue so it’s impossible to see inside. “What’s he look like?” Yuta demands, leaning closer conspiratorially.

“I mean I only saw him from the back, but he looks pretty normal,” Seungwan shrugs. “Really tall, though. Sunyoung-unnie would look like a midget next to him.”

“Any dirt on him?”

“Not that I know of. I think I overheard Baekhyun-oppa mentioning that he’s originally from the States, though? Sounds interesting.”

Ten grins devilishly. “Impromptu bet?” He proposes. “Will the HR guy be hot or not? Yes or no? Put down five thousand won.”

“Nah,” Yuta confidently shakes his head. Dramatically, he takes his wallet out and slaps the bills down on Seungwan’s desk. “Ever heard of a hot HR dude? Not possible.”

Seungwan purses her lips in thought before slowly placing her money on the desk, too. “Yuta raises a good point. I’m gonna have to side with him on this one.”

Ten tosses his money into the pile. “Hot for sure,” he declares, grin widening. “Easiest money I’ve ever made.”

“Well looks like we’re finding out right now,” Seungwan comments, pointing to the opening door of Chanyeol’s office.

Chanyeol steps out first, followed by a guy almost as tall as him. He’s got a pointed chin and sharp jaw, and his dark hair is maybe a little long but it’s neatly styled out of his face. 

Yuta and Seungwan both groan. “Looks like we lost this one,” Yuta sighs regretfully, pushing the money pile across the desk.

Ten, however, can’t move. He can’t even breathe because _holy shit, this is not real. This cannot be real. What the actual fuck is going on._

Chanyeol loudly clears his throat. “Everyone,” he announces, clapping a hand down on the newcomer’s shoulder. “This is Seo Youngho, our HR rep for the next year.”

“Please,” the man interrupts kindly, his voice deep yet soothing. “Call me Johnny.”

Right there and then, Ten knows he’s absolutely fucked.


	2. Ten gets called out, complaints are discussed, and antics resume

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'll update Only Traces of Ashes Remain eventually, but that shit is getting hard to write. As it turns out, being angsty isn't easy.

_“Hey,” Johnny Seo stares him in the eye with a challenging gaze, a single brow perfectly raised as he says, “You coming or not?”_

_It’s a dare, and for all Ten knows it could be a trap. Taeyong’s voice is telling him to shuffle back inside and go to bed. Be a coward and turn down the offer. Forget the stupid boy who’s been plaguing his thoughts for three years now. Leave that door closed and accept he’s missed out on his opportunity already._

_But who is Ten to say no?_

 

The instant the clock strikes one, Ten all but hurls himself off his chair and makes a beeline for the empty break room. With trembling hands, he pulls out his cell and manages to dial Taeyong’s number with more difficulty than necessary.

“What?” Taeyong demands on the fifth ring. “I’m technically in the middle of a meeting right now, so I’m giving you two minutes to tell me what’s wrong.”

“Johnny Seo,” is all Ten hisses in reply.

“Johnny S—Ten, what the _hell_? That’s why you’re calling me in the middle of work? Because you’re thinking about the guy you had a major crush on in college? _That’s_ what’s so important? I swear to God, Tennie, I will actually—”

“He’s our new HR rep!” Ten interrupts hastily.

The line goes dead silent. “Oh,” Taeyong says at last, voice and presumably face completely blank. “Oh, _shit_.”

Ten lets out the groan he’d been holding in since eight in the morning. “Oh shit, indeed,” he agrees miserably.

Right as the words leave his mouth, Sooyoung walks into the room. She throws him a questioning look as she opens the refrigerator, mouthing _What the fuck?_

“Okay, I really have to get back to the meeting,” Taeyong sighs regretfully. “But Skype me tonight, alright? Looks like we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Ten nods weakly. “Right. Talk to you later, Yong.”

“Bye, Tennie.”

The first thing he does after hanging up is bang his head against the cabinets as hard as he can. Which, as he discovers only seconds later, is a very bad decision because it fucking _hurts_. So now here he is, looking like an absolute fool as he clutches his head while Sooyoung laughs mercilessly.

“Someone’s not okay,” she teases between bites of cold pizza. “What’s up with you? Is Doyoung’s presence getting to you?”

Ten sneaks a glance through the glass. The others are all still busy at their desks, and it looks like only he and Sooyoung are taking their break right now. With a loud groan, Ten stalks over to one of the tables and flops down. “Let’s just say that HR dude caught me off guard,” he grumbles under his breath.

Sooyoung slides into the seat across from him. “Oh, Johnny-ssi? From uni, right? I was wondering if you’d recognized him, too.”

“Huh?” Ten jerks his head up in shock. “You know him too? And how’d you know he’s from college?”

“Goddammit Ten,” Sooyoung glares, unimpressed. “Did it never occur to you that we went to school together? We even had the same freshman calc class, you idiot. Oh my god, have you really not known this whole time?”

Sheepishly, Ten rubs at the back of his head. “Ah. Right,” he nods awkwardly. Now that he thinks about it, he does remember thinking Sooyoung looked familiar the first time they met. That would explain it. But still, their university wasn’t exactly small. It was one thing for Sooyoung to remember him because they were in the same year, but Johnny? When would she have ever interacted with him?

Sensing his confusion, Sooyoung’s glower becomes even less impressed. “I was on the girls’ dance team,” she explains stonily.

_Ah_. “I see,” Ten nods awkwardly. Yeah, he totally has no recollection of her on the team.

Sooyoung rolls her eyes. “Anyway,” she says, “Maybe you don’t remember me, but I sure as hell remember you. You were the prodigy of your year, but you almost sabotaged yourself freshman year by accidentally insulting Taemin-oppa.”

“In my defense I didn’t know that only seniors could have solos at the showcase!”

“ _And_ you were mostly known for being Lee Taeyong’s best friend. My friend Seulgi used to always wonder what it must have been like for you to be so close to someone that much prettier than you,” Sooyoung continues.

Now it’s Ten’s turn to glare. “I hate you,” he states flatly.

“Don’t worry, I can relate. Joohyun-noona was one of my closest friends.”

“Oh shit.”

“Yup.”

Sooyoung flicks her long ponytail over her shoulder. “Okay, but I had an original point. Basically, you’re clearly all shaken up about Johnny Seo’s sudden reappearance after leaving the country six years ago. But because most people wouldn’t be this affected by seeing someone they only knew from dance team, I think something must have happened between the two of you. So spill the tea, Ten.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I like Seungwan-noona much better than you,” Ten remarks in an attempt to avoid the subject.

A stilettoed foot kicks him in the shin. “Spill it, coward!”

Knowing that Sooyoung won’t let him leave any time soon, Ten resigns himself to his fate and slouches down in his chair. “There really isn’t any tea,” he insists tiredly. “We were on the team together; I had a crush on him; we weren’t really friends so nothing happened. I didn’t tell him, and then he graduated and flew back to America. That’s all that happened, Soo.”

She eyes him with an expression that can only be described as _I’m not falling for that but okay then_. “I see,” she nods skeptically. Calmly, she takes a large bite out of her pizza and somehow manages to remain elegant as she says through a mouthful of food, “So you’re telling me that you ran here to make an urgent phone call because your old crush is our new HR rep?”

“What?” Ten demands defensively.

“Oh, nothing,” Sooyoung shrugs, mischeif glinting in her eyes. She brushes the crumbs off the table and comments, “It’s just that it seems like you still like him.”

Ten groans and smacks his head against the table, which is yet another mistake to add to his ever-growing list. Now both the front and back of his head hurt. “Come on, it’s been six years. I was a stupid college kid back then; why would I still have a crush on him?”

Sooyoung winks. “I don’t know, Ten. You tell me.”

It’s official. “I like Seungwan-noona better,” he whines.

“Sucks, bitch.”

 

Of course, the real story about Johnny Seo isn’t nearly that simple. Things are hardly ever that easy, after all.

True: They were on the university dance team together, Ten had a crush on him, they weren’t really friends, and then Johnny graduated and returned to America.

False: Nothing ever happened between them.

For the most part, they really didn’t know each other all that well. At least, Johnny didn’t know Ten. Ten, however, still remembers wandering around the club fair his freshman fall in search of the dance club. Taeyong had ditched him at some point, and the crowd around the courtyard was too dense to look for him. Frustrated, lost, and completely confused, Ten was about ready to call it quits and forget about dance team when a tall guy approached him.

“Interested in dance or learning how to dance?” The guy smiled, face and tone friendly as he handed Ten a flier for the exact group he’d been searching for.

Ten probably would’ve jumped up and kissed him out of relief, had it not been for several factor that froze him in place.

  1. What the fuck that’s rude and he’d never _actually_ do that (please, he has standards)
  2. The guy is too tall for Ten to reach by himself.
  3. He’s _hot_.



A common question Ten found himself asking was _Is he actually hot or just tall?_ But no, this dude was _both_. His face was on the rounder side, but the sharp angles of his jaw and chin toned down the softness. Maybe his undercut and slicked back hair was a little fuckboy-ish, but his smile was too kind to agree with that assumption. And he danced, too! Today was Ten’s lucky day!

So, instead of climbing the guy like a tree, Ten _calmly_ swallows and declares ever so smoothly, “I’ve been looking for you!”

The guy furrows his brows in confusion. “Um?”

_Shit_. “Oh, I didn’t mean for _you_ ,” Ten hastily tries to salvage the situation. “I meant that I’ve been looking for the dance team! I’ve been wanting to audition ever since I found out you guys won Nationals last year, so I thought I’d grace you all with my own talents and—and I’m being stupid right now, aren’t I?”

With a laugh, the tall man holds out a hand for Ten to shake. “What’s your name?”

Ten clasps onto his hand. “Uh, my name is super long so I just go by Ten,” he explains.

“Nice to meet you, Ten. I’m Youngho, but most people call me Johnny.”

Johnny turns to go, but before he does he sends one last smile Ten’s way and says, “I hope we live up to your expectations.”

Perhaps Ten’s heart stops beating, but that’s irrelevant.

And so a week later, Ten and Taeyong went to audition together in front of a panel of the upperclassmen leaders. President Taemin and VP Jongin watched their every move with hawk eyes. Ten doesn’t remember much from the audition, but there’s one important event he’ll never be able to burn out of his memory.

The last evaluation consisted of all the hopefuls dancing the same routine together. Ten was fucking nailing it until, at the very end of the routine, the door to the practice room opened and in slipped a familiar tall figure. And because Ten was—and still is—stupid, he lost focus and promptly fell flat on his face. 

Everyone in the room immediately stopped to stare at him, with Taemin and Jongin exchanging unreadable yet grim expressions. Taeyong had his hand over his mouth, horrified at his friend’s fall. Johnny, however—the root cause of Ten’s embarrassment—barely spared him a glance before dropping off a few folders on Taemin’s table and leaving.

_Well, shit,_ was Ten’s first thought. _Guess I blew it_.

Surprisingly though, he found his name next to Taeyong’s on the team sheet the next day. Taemin later explained that even though Ten’s fall usually would’ve been damning, he’d already recognized Ten’s skills and figured it was a one-off occasion. Ten was so happy he almost kissed Taemin, but then thought better of it because not only was he not attracted to his new president, but also because that would be highly inappropriate.

For the most part, being on the dance team was fun. Sure Taemin and Jongin drilled them like soldiers, but Ten liked the other members a lot. The thing is, though, it’s very much obvious that Johnny didn't remember him. He introduced himself again during the first practice, but there was no recognition in his expression or voice. And why would he, really? Ten was just one of hundreds of people in the courtyard that day, and there’s no way Johnny could remember every guy he handed a flier to. It wasn't exactly easy to get to know the guy any more, either, because Johnny already had his own little clique with members Ji Hansol and Oh Sehun. Those three were, without a doubt, the _cool_ ones, and Ten knew that he’s way below their league. Way, _way_ below.

As freshman year came to a close, Taemin tearfully passed on the role of president to Sehun and Hansol was named new VP. Then they too graduated and Johnny became president. Six months later, he announced his retirement from the club.

“Busted ankle,” he explained regretfully to the whole team. Sure enough, his ankle was wrapped up in tape and he stood gingerly with his weight on the other foot. “The past few years have been great, but the injury keeps getting worse and worse. The doctors told me it’s not smart to keep going like this. So although it brings me great pain to do so, I have to step down from the club.”

He’d selected Taeyong as the new president and after that, Johnny Seo no longer interacted with the dance team again. Ten occasionally saw him in the hallways or in random places on campus, but he never had the courage to go up and talk to him. They weren’t close, so why would he? He barely even knew Johnny. 

For the past three years, he could’ve done something. The door to getting to know Johnny had been wide open, but Ten had been too hesitant and nervous to step through it. Now, with Johnny’s departure, it was officially closed and dead-bolted. 

That is, until one spring morning the Friday before finals.

But that’s a story for another time.

 

“So he just appeared out of nowhere?”

“Basically,” Ten groans, twisting his fingers into his hair out of anguish. “Like, when the fuck did he even come back? The last I heard of him he was already on the plane to Chicago. How long has he been in Korea?”

On Ten’s laptop screen, Taeyong hums thoughtfully as he scrolls through his phone. His face looks ragged and tired, but the bright shine in his eyes is more than enough to quell Ten’s concerns. After Jaehyun accepted the higher position in Jeonju, Taeyong found a school there with an opening in the literature department and applied for the job. Shifting from a public high school to an elite private one wasn’t easy, but Taeyong loved his job and Ten knew that his students would always love him, too.

“Aha!” Taeyong yelps triumphantly. He brings his phone up to the camera and says, “From this Instagram post, I’d say he’s been back for about three years now.”

The picture Taeyong holds up is of Johnny with his former dance clique of Oh Sehun and Ji Hansol. He’s standing in the middle and looks bedraggled while Sehun and Hansol grin brightly. They must be at the airport, judging by the way Johnny’s got suitcases behind him and his passport out.

_Been a while,_ reads his caption from the summer of three years ago.

The first comment is from Seulgi, a girl from Johnny’s college friend group and one of Sooyoung's friends. _Omg how long are you back for? We should meet up with the squad again!_

Johnny’s reply says: _Yeah we should! And lol I’m staying for good this time_.

“Wow,” Ten blinks. “Can’t believe he’s been here all this time.”

“You can say that again,” Taeyong agrees, pulling his phone away from the camera. He continues scrolling on it with an impressed expression. “Wow, so he doesn’t post a lot, but he started working at Taeng&Co about a year ago. He’s been at the Incheon branch this whole time, though. Huh, I wonder why he was chosen for your team, then. That’s kinda weird.”

Ten’s brain hurts way too much to think right now—he blames Doyoung’s stupidity for rubbing off on him—which makes him glad that he’s got Taeyong here to sleuth for him. “CEO Kim probably wanted an outside party to come in and intervene,” he mumbles absently. “But really, what are the fucking odds? Out of all the branches to choose from she chooses Incheon, and of all the HR people they pick out Johnny? Is this what karma looks like?”

Taeyong snorts derisively. “Please, Ten. If karma were out to get you you’d have been fucked a long time ago.”

Ten flips him off. “Shut the fuck up, Yong.”

“You know I’m right,” Taeyong shoots back with a cheeky, yet somehow still angelic, grin. “Anyway, so what are you gonna do now? Finally ready to chase after your dream boy?”

“He’s not my dream boy!” Ten protests. “He’s just some guy I had a crush on in college. Nothing more.”

“Right,” Taeyong comments skeptically. Suddenly, Ten feels like he’s talking to Sooyoung all over again. “Because you’d totally be freaking out if he were ‘just some guy’ you used to like. Try again, Ten.”

Ten suppresses a frustrated screech and flops down on his back. He’s definitely out of view from the camera now, but fuck that. Taeyong doesn’t deserve to see his perfect face after exposing him like that. 

Taeyong may know most things about Ten, but not even he knows about The Weekend. It’s not that Ten doesn’t want to tell him, per se, but that he doesn’t know how to bring it up.

_Oh, remember that time I disappeared the weekend before finals junior year? Yeah, well this is what really happened._

No, there’s no way to explain what happened. It’s not a hard story to tell, but it’s just _not easy_.

“I guess I still like him,” Ten admits at last. He hoists himself back up in front of his laptop. “Or, maybe I do. I don’t know if I still like him or if I’m just caught up on the idea of liking him, you know? That’s why I’m so confused right now.”

Taeyong’s face softens. “Oh, Tennie,” he murmurs sympathetically. “I know I tease you about Johnny Seo a lot, but I do know that your feelings for him were real. I think it’s good that you’re taking a step back and asking yourself this now, so I’m proud of you. But hey, maybe it’s a good sign? Like what if this is your last chance to get to know him?”

Ten shakes his head. “Nah, it’s okay. He’s only here for a year, anyway, and then he’ll go back to Incheon or America or wherever the fuck he goes to when he disappears. He’ll be in and out of my life just like that. No point holding onto the past.”

“Ten—” Taeyong begins, only to stop and purse his lips. “Okay then. If you say so.”

 

Jeno sighs with a dreamy, swooning shine to his eyes. “Why is he so cute?” He wonders longingly.

Ten follows Jeno’s line of sight to where Jaemin is studiously listening and nodding along to Seungwan’s instructions. Jaemin’s got rounded glasses on today, giving him a softer appearance than usual. Naturally, Jeno is more whipped than ever.

“Focus on selling shit!” Ten chastises, teasingly throwing a pencil into Jeno’s cubicle. “The best way to impress a man is to make money, after all.”

Yuta snorts so hard he spits his coffee back into his mug. “That explains why you’re so easy.”

If Ten could, he would punch that shit-eating grin off Yuta’s face without a second’s hesitation. That, or throw a stapler at him. But with the team’s new HR rep sitting only ten feet away, that’s out of the question.

Speaking of whom…

Subtly, Ten sneaks a quick glance over his shoulder at what used to be Doyoung’s desk. Johnny Seo is calmly typing away at some report on his computer, occasionally pausing every now and then to sip at his tea. His perfectlyupright, arrow-like posture makes Ten automatically straighten his hunched shoulders. He’s even wearing a full suit, goddammit. Chanyeol’s the only one who ever does that, and even so he usually sheds the jacket and rolls up his sleeve—something Ten knows that Baekhyun enjoys very much.

“Hey noona?” Jeno asks, turning to Sunyoung. “How did you confess to Jongdae-hyung?”

Like Yuta did earlier, Sunyoung spits out her mouthful of coffee. “What?” She exclaims in shock.

Ten and Yuta immediately put down their work to observe the scene playing out in front of them.

Jeno blushes. “I was just wondering! For um, a friend, that is.”

“A friend, huh?” Yuta guffaws, earning himself a jab in the ribs from Ten.

Sunyoung suppresses a smile. “First of all, it’s a bit rude for an intern to ask me about my love life,” she chastises. “But since you’re so lovesick, why not?”

“Secondly,” Sunyoung sniffs. “Bold of you to assume I was the one who confessed.”

Yuta’s jaw drops. “ _He_ confessed?”

“Stop being a little bitch and letting predetermined gender roles get to you!” Ten retorts. He takes advantage of the opportunity and whacks Yuta on the back of his head.

While Yuta rubs the back of his now sore head, Sunyoung merely winks at Jeno. “About a year after he and Seungwan broke up,” she smirks.

“What?” Ten and Yuta shout in unison. Immediately, they whirl around to stare at Seungwan, who’s currently talking to Jaemin and not paying them any mind.

Ten holds up a hand. “Hang on, noona. I’m gonna need you to start from the top. Those two were together?”

Sunyoung shrugs nonchalantly. “I mean, they were only a thing for a few months. They were still together when she first introduced him to me, but it wasn’t long before they called it quits. Then Jongdae and I became better friends and he confessed later.”

“I can’t believe it,” Ten replies in a daze. “You broke The Friendship Code, noona. I never took you for that kind of person.”

“Oh fuck off,” Sunyoung laughs and rolls her eyes. “If anything, _he_ broke it by asking out his ex’s friend. Besides, things turned out alright for all of us, anyway. It’s not like Seungwan particularly cared, either.”

“I didn’t care about what?” Seungwan, who’d suddenly materialized behind Ten’s shoulder, speaks up.

Ten jumps. “Jesus, woman!”

“You didn’t care that I dated, eventually married, and had kids with your ex,” Sunyoung explains without batting an eye.

“Oh, that?” Seungwan laughs. “Yeah, I definitely didn’t care. I even gave her tips and everything about how he kissed.”

Yuta’s face twists into a pained grimace. “For some reason, hearing that Jongdae-hyung’s kissed more than one person in this office sickens me,” he muses.

“Agreed,” Ten shudders. “Man, I can’t imagine making out with someone Seungwan-noona’s already been with. Even if they’re hot that would just be so gross.”

Seungwan flicks his head. “Well FYI, I’d rather die than kiss anyone you’ve already been with,” she retorts.

“I hate you,” Ten hisses.

“Trust me, the feeling’s mutual,” Seungwan agrees. She clears her throat and adds, “But anyway, I didn’t come here to talk about this. I need you idiots to confirm some numbers for me.”

Her eyes gleam as she adds, “Hey Jeno, why don’t you run over and check some stats for Jaemin?”

Jeno stiffens. “Oh, um, are you sure? I don’t think I’m the most qualified…”

Ten slaps him on the back. “Go, young grasshopper,” he grins teasingly. “Make all your dreams come true!”

Swallowing, Jeno stands up and shakily makes his way over to the accounting desks.

“So what do you need us to look over?” Sunyoung inquires.

“Oh, nothing,” Seungwan smirks as she settles down in Jeno’s chair. “Just thought I’d give the darling interns a little push.”

Yuta whistles lowly. “Wow, you’re evil,” he remarks.

“What’s new?”

“Working hard or hardly working?” Jongdae’s amused tone enters the conversation as he strolls in and leans against Sunyoung’s cubicle. “Why did Seungwan and Jeno switch places?” He asks curiously.

Sunyoung doesn’t miss a beat as she solemnly says, “Because we’re gossiping about you.”

“Huh?” Jongdae blinks.

“I can’t believe you dated Seungwan-noona first!” Ten exclaims. “Literally how the hell do you go from someone like _her_ to Sunyoung-noona? The upgrade, damn—tell me your ways, hyung!”

As expected, his remarks result in a sharp elbow from Seungwan. “I hate you,” she scowls.

For the longest time, Jongdae just stares at Ten with a blank look. Then he closes his eyes and inhales deeply. Without another word, he turns around and walks back to his desk.

"Did we just break Jongdae-hyung?" Yuta demands incredulously.

“I’d say we’ve been pretty productive,” Sunyoung comments dryly, amusement lacing her voice.

“If I stab a certain twink in the next twenty minutes would anyone miss him?” Seungwan deadpans.

Yuta shakes his head. “Nope.”

“Not really,” Sunyoung agrees.

Doyoung, who for some reason hasn’t spoken up throughout the entire exchange, pops his head up from his new cubicle. “I’d stab him with you,” he declares.

“I’ll stab _you_ , you bitch!” Ten roars.

“Try me, hoe!”

(Unbeknownst to the squabbling workers, Johnny Seo ducks his head and holds back a laugh)

 

For the most part, Johnny doesn’t interact with the team that much. Occasionally he’ll flit around to speak to each subgroup within the team, but that’s only ever to exchange a few words regarding their progress. He spends most of his time at his desk, fingers flying over the keyboard of his computer. Sometimes he goes into Chanyeol’s office and has long discussions with him, but other than that he hasn’t socialized at all.

Which, honestly, Ten’s glad for. Whenever Johnny talks to the sales team, he mostly addresses Sunyoung due to her seniority. He barely even spares Ten a glance. One time Ten walked into the break room as Johnny was walking out and they did the obligatory awkward _Is he going left or right or should I go left—oh wait now we’re both going the same way_ tango. Johnny simply said, “Sorry about that, Ten-ssi” and went about on his merry way. 

Clearly he knows Ten, but to what extent Ten is unsure of. He caught the glimmer of recognition in Johnny’s eyes when they shook hands on the HR rep’s first day, but no further words or signals have been exchanged. Hell, Johnny seems to recognize Sooyoung more, because he actually talks to her longer than he does anyone else. Or he could just be flirting with her because, if Ten remembers correctly (and he does), Johnny Seo is bi as hell. But Sooyoung’s engaged to a nice man named Sungjae, so Johnny’s probably seen her ring. Would Johnny hit on a taken woman?

_Okay, that’s enough, Ten,_ he scolds himself. _Stop overthinking things so much_.

Seungwan and Yuta, by far his closest friends, don’t seem to notice anything’s up. Sadly Ten and Yuta can’t visit Seungwan’s desk so often anymore because now they’ve actually got to get work done, but that doesn’t stop them from sneakily sending texts on the group chat. Seungwan and Yuta are on a mission to dig up as much dirt as they can on Johnny Seo, but so far they haven’t figured out too much. They don’t even know that Ten went to school with the guy, and that’s information Ten’s not willing to dish out anytime soon. Thank god Sooyoung hasn’t said anything.

The few days later, Johnny calls for a team meeting. “Look,” he starts by raising his hands in defense. “I’m not here to spy on you or anything. Corporate asked me to come down and make sure things keep running smoothly here, and judging by the numbers you guys are doing just fine.”

Yuta arches a brow. “So why do we need a babysitter, then? Like you said, our sales are great,” he points out.

Johnny’s face twists into a grimace. “Trust me, the numbers are great. It’s just…well, we’ve received some rather _concerning_ complaints about this team from other workers in the building. Not too many, of course, but enough that CEO Kim thought it wouldn’t hurt to send me over.”

Chanyeol’s jaw drops. So does the thermos in his hands, but luckily Baekhyun’s watching him (as usual) and manages to catch it before it can fall to the ground. “Concerning complaints?” Chanyeol repeats, completely dumbfounded. “Like what? I’m the manager and no one from HR has ever told me about any complaints?”

With each passing second, Johnny looks more and more like he doesn’t want to be there. Ten observes the way his grimace deepens, then disappears as he swallows determinedly. “Like I said, it’s not like there were a lot of things to be concerned about,” Johnny begins slowly. He pulls a folder out of his briefcase— _of course he’s the type of goddamn person to carry a fucking briefcase_ —and shuffles through some papers. “Maybe we should go through these one by one, then?” He suggests meekly.

“Go ahead,” Jongdae nods, lips pursed in worry.

Johnny clears his throat (no Ten does not stare at his Adam’s apple, who the fuck do you think he is?) and skims the top page. “Some of the other tech support workers are a bit confused as to why Kim Doyoung gets to be a part of this team when he wasn’t the only one helping with technical issues?”

Doyoung looks absolutely affronted. “Because I’m much more capable than all of them combined!” He exclaims.

Chanyeol coughs to cover a chuckle. “Well yes, what he says is true, but we also brought him up here because we found that most of our technical issues can be solved more efficiently if we have a knowledgable tech support member present. It was taking too long to get through to the others, so the most efficient solution was to keep him here and shorten the time it takes to solve problems,” he explains in a much more mature, level-headed manner. Never mind the fact that he's bullshitting Johnny because the only reason why Doyoung was added was for survival purposes.

“I see,” Johnny nods slowly. He eyes Doyoung in confusion and adds, “But why did you select Doyoung here in particular?”

“Because we were too afraid to risk his wrath by selecting someone else,” Seungwan explains with complete seriousness.

Johnny stares at her with a blank expression. “Right,” he says. “For the sake of this team, I’m gonna tell the higher ups that it’s because of his skill level.”

“Moving on,” he says hurriedly, flipping to the next complaint. “According to Taeng&Co guidelines, coworkers are discouraged from entering romantic relationships with each other. None of the higher ups actually care that much, but the rules are there to prevent corruption accusations. Yet, according to these reports, Assistant manager Kim is married to Saleswoman Park?”

“Oh come on!” Jongdae throws his hands up exasperatedly. “People are _still_ mad about that? Sunyoung and I were dating before coming here and we even got hired at the same time. She joined this team a whole year before I did, and I can assure you that I’ve never made preferential decisions towards her based on our marriage.”

Sunyoung nods her head in agreement. “Sometimes I sure wish he would,” she adds jokingly.

Johnny sucks in a long breath. “See, I understand that you two haven’t been a problem,” he admits. “And CEO Kim never explicitly said that relationships between coworkers are forbidden. She’s always left it as a gray area, but that raises complications and potential lawsuits from disgruntled employees.”

“Because it appears that Kim-ssi and Park-ssi have not violated any rules and the complaints are, again, minimal, I’m not going to report anything about it. But I’ve been told by my colleagues to advise you that while relationships are technically allowed, it would be in everyone’s best interest to not pursue any further romances within this team. Or, at least don't make them public.”

Immediately, all eyes fall on Baekhyun and Jeno. Jeno’s face immediately turns red, while the secretary flushes in embarrassment and lowers his head. Luckily, the man of his affections doesn’t seem to notice, as he’s still staring at Johnny with a stricken look. 

“What else have they said about us?” Chanyeol asks, already a broken man.

By this point, the awkward tension in the air is so thick Ten feels like he’s suffocating. Johnny doesn’t look like he’s faring much better.

“Um,” he pauses. “There’s just one more. What’s this thing about betting?”

Ten, Yuta, and Seungwan stiffen.

“Oh, that’s not serious,” Sunyoung replies quickly. She waves her hands flippantly and explains, “It’s just something we do for fun sometimes. Make bets on whether or not Taeil can throw his coffee into the trash and that stuff. It’s all harmless.”

"Turns out I can't," Taeil supplied helpfully.

Johnny doesn’t quite seem to buy that, but he nods anyway. Maybe he’s just as done with this office as they are with themselves, and it’s only been a week. “Well then, I guess that settles it. Try to, um, tone it down, I guess? There’s really nothing else I can say.”

The troublemaking trio all send grateful glances to Sunyoung, who breathes her own sigh of relief.

“Oh, wait,” he suddenly remembers. He shuffles through his papers until he finds the one he wants. “Uh, mind explaining an incident from three months ago involving a Son Seungwan and a Ten Leechaiyapornkul? According to this report, Son-ssi was chasing Ten-ssi through the halls shouting death threats. Apparently a Nakamoto Yuta got involved too? Admittedly this report is a little confusing, so some clarification would be nice.”

Ten winces. Unfortunately, he knows exactly which incident Johnny is referring to, and it’s one he’d rather burn out of his memory. Judging by the equally pained expressions Seungwan and Yuta are donning, they’d also prefer to not revisit the memory, either.

“It was nothing,” the three of them all say at once.

Chanyeol and Jongdae exchange looks, horror spreading across their faces as they too recall what happened. “Just a misunderstanding!” Chanyeol blurts out.

Johnny raises a brow. “How is shouting death threats a misunderst—”

“Well!” Chanyeol exclaims, jumping out of his seat and clapping his hands. “This has been great! Meeting adjourned!”

Quietly, he adds, “Baekhyun, please shred any and all notes of this meeting.”

“What was that?” Johnny leans closer.

“Nothing!”

 

_Kim Doyoung_ : _Ha three idiots almost got exposed!_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Only after you got exposed for being the biggest fucking diva on the planet_

_Kim Doyoung: I take offense_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Suck it_

_Park Sooyoung: Wow I’ve never been more glad to be in customer relations. Taeil-oppa and I are the golden children of this team_

_Moon Taeil: Seconded_

_Son Seungwan: Can’t believe he’s banning inter-department relationships. What’re we gonna do about Jeno and Jaemin now?_

_Ten: Fuck you’re right_

_Ten: Also what’s Baekhyun gonna do about Chanyeol now?_

_Moon Taeil: Aren’t we not supposed to talk about those two?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Fuck it Jongdae and Sunyoung aren’t here_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Actually though what the fuck is going on with that?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Why is Baekhyun’s crush a taboo subject when everyone already knows how obvious he is anyway_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Like what is Jongdae trying to hide?_

_Park Sooyoung: Did it ever occur to you that maybe he’s not trying to hide anything but instead protect his best friend?_

_Ten: You know something, Soo?!_

_Son Seungwan: I wouldn’t doubt it. Sooyoung somehow knows everything._

_Park Sooyoung: Actually I don’t, but I’d like to give Jongdae and Sunyoung the benefit of the doubt. They know Baekhyun better than any of us, so I’m just gonna trust them on this._

_Kim Doyoung: Wow since when did you become the voice of reason?_

_Park Sooyoung: Someone’s gotta be_

_Ten: Wait_

_Ten: @Son Seungwan you dated Jongdae_

_Ten: Do you know anything about Baekhyun?_

_Son Seungwan: Not really no_

_Son Seungwan: I only met him a few times and Jongdae didn’t say much other than the fact that they’ve been best friends since childhood_

_Moon Taeil: Wait you dated Jongdae?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Oh my god hyung_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Get with the program!!!_

_Kim Doyoung: Hang on, is it just me or is Jongdae-hyung giving me a death glare right now?_

_Kim Doyoung: Holy shit can he read minds or something? Does he know we’re talking about Baekhyun???!!!_

_Park Sooyoung: Maybe he’s glaring because it's two o'clock on a Thursday we’re all on our phones instead of doing work. Like, you know, we’re paid to do._

_Kim Doyoung: Oh._

 

“You know,” Ten remarks out of the blue the next day. “I had a strange dream last night.”

Seungwan rolls her eyes. “I don’t even want to know about it, but since you’ll tell me anyway I may as well. So, dear Ten, what is this strange dream you had?”

Sighing dramatically, Ten reaches across the break room table and steals one of Seungwan’s chips. “Well I was married to the love of my life, but then I died suddenly and he gets remarried to you of all people. And it’s your future child who travels back in time to tell me all this. Crazy, huh?”

“Gross,” Seungwan wrinkles her nose in disgust. “Like I said before, there’s no way in hell I’m touching anyone you’ve already fucked.”

“And this is why we’re such great friends.”

A knock on the open door surprises both of them. Johnny’s standing at the entrance to the break room, casually leaning against the doorframe. “Hey, Ten? Can I talk to you for a second?”

Seungwan shoots Ten a look that screams _, What the fuck?_ Ten’s own thoughts aren’t that far off.

“Sure,” he says. His body calmly gets up from the table and makes its way over while his mind freaks out. What on earth could Johnny possibly have to talk to him about? And privately?

Johnny smiles gratefully and gestures for Ten to come with him. With one last confused glance sent Seungwan’s way, Ten follows, dread pooling with every step.

 

_He’s gonna regret this._

_Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow or the next day. But Ten knows that sometime soon, he’ll look back and wonder why the hell he agreed to this. Why would he accept an offer from a man he’s not particularly close to—a man he’s always watched from afar, sure, but ultimately doesn’t_ know _._

_Johnny doesn’t seem like the type, but once they leave the busy city behind and enter the smaller, one-lane roads, he floors the accelerator and dashes across the countryside. All the windows are wide open and the wind is screwing with Ten’s hair and whipping at his face, but he barely even notices. He’s far too fascinated by the man in the driver’s seat._

_“You didn’t have to say yes, you know,” Johnny suddenly remarks. He’s got his eyes trained on the road, not even sparing a second’s glance over at Ten. “If you want, I can still turn back and you’ll be back in the dorm in a couple hours.”_

_Taeyong’s voice is urging him to go back home, but Ten ignores it. “Nah,” he shakes his head. “It’s fine, really. It’s nice to get away sometimes.”_

_Johnny doesn’t say anything in response, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white._

_One day, Ten will ask himself how his one-sided, never acted upon crush on Johnny Seo caused him to get into the red truck. It’s one of those stupid, rash decisions he makes so often and regrets every time. He’ll enjoy in the moment, maybe, but then it’ll end and he’ll be left wondering what just happened. In the future, he’s gonna regret this. That much Ten knows._

_But that’s a story for another time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I always pair Chen and Luna together, you ask? Idk. I just think they'd be cute lol.
> 
> Also did any of you catch the reference towards the end? :)


	3. Yuta almost kills a bitch, the true nature of customer relations comes out, and Ten admits a difficult truth

Johnny leads him out of the team’s space and into the hallway to the private meeting room. He doesn’t look back once to check if Ten is following, which gives Ten an opportunity to size him up from behind.  It’s no secret that Ten is on the shorter side and most other men are taller than him, but he doesn’t remember Johnny Seo being quite so tall. He’d gotten rid of the blazer at some point, now just wearing a white button-up that stretches rather nicely across his back. His legs are as long as ever, too, Ten notes approvingly. Definitely still climbable. Like a motherfucking tree climbable.

_Stop,_ what remains of his conscious chides.

And then he notices something he’d almost forgotten: Johnny walks with a slight limp. An ankle injury had forced him to quit dance team, but even now, six years later, it doesn’t look like he’s completely recovered from it. Johnny’s gait is smooth but just the slightest bit unsteady when he puts pressure on his left side. Had Ten not already known that there was a problem, he wouldn’t have even noticed anything wrong.

Johnny sits down at the small desk in the private room and gestures for Ten to take a seat across from him. He has a thin binder in front of him, which he flips open to a picture of Ten on top of his resume.

“So,” Johnny says, all proper and business-like. He slides on a pair of wire-framed glasses, which totally don’t make him any more attractive than usual. Not. At. All. “You’re not in any trouble, by the way. I’m going through protocol and checking in with each member. You just happened to be first.”

“Ah,” Ten nods, exhaling in relief. “I see. What, uh, do you need to talk about?”

Johnny flips to the next page of the binder. “So you’ve been here for around two years and a half years now?”

“Yeah,” Ten confirms. Okay, this he can do. It’s just work, and he’s a goddamn professional. He’s totally got this. College crush be damned.

“I see. And then you’ve been with Manager Park’s specialized team for two years?”

“Yeah.”

Johnny quirks a brow. “So according to these numbers here,” he gestures to the page in front of him. “Out of the three of you working in sales, your numbers are the second best, with Yuta-ssi’s numbers not too far behind. Of course, neither of that is concerning because the figures are quite good. But there is one thing I’m a bit confused by.”

Dread pools in Ten’s stomach as he already knows what’s coming. “What’s wrong?”

“Why are Sunyoung-ssi’s numbers higher than yours and Yuta-ssi’s numbers combined? It’s not a matter of underperforming because you’re the most successful team out of all the company branches, but I’ve never seen such a huge discrepancy before.”

_Oh, lord_. “Well, she’s been here a lot longer than either me or Yuta,” Ten supplies meekly. “She’s a lot more experienced at the job. That’s only to be expected, right?”

What he’s not about to say right now is that whenever he or Yuta feel like slacking off—AKA, Ten bothering Seungwan or Yuta unsuccessfully flirting with Sicheng—Sunyoung covers their phones for them. That hasn’t happened since Johnny arrived, but it’s certainly something that Ten misses.

Johnny doesn’t seem entirely convinced—a look Ten’s gotten used to at this point—but he plays along with it anyway. “I see,” he nods. “But why do you have an intern then, while she doesn’t? I think it would be more productive for her to oversee Lee Jeno’s internship.”

_That’s a question I ask myself every day, buddy._ “Well, she already has two kids at home. I doubt she wants to spend any more time with young people,” Ten jokes.

Johnny pauses to send him a strange look. “What?”

_Shit_. Ten has, once again, put his foot in his mouth. What’s new? “Never mind,” he smiles nervously, grin a bit too wide to be convincing.

“Alright then,” Johnny eyes him perplexedly. “Well, other than what we’ve already discussed, there isn’t anything particularly pressing to talk about. From what I understand, the team members here are exceptionally close? I don’t believe I’ve ever witnessed such a sight.”

Ten puffs his chest out in pride. “We are,” he declares boldly. Ten’s not usually one for unironically cheesy words, but he does feel particularly strongly about the team. “Sure it may seem like we fight a lot, but we’re like a family, you know? We can have a lot of fun but still be productive.”

Perhaps it’s a trick of the light, but he swears he sees Johnny Seo smile for the briefest second. “I see,” Johnny comments lightly with the smallest of smiles. “That’s very encouraging to hear.”

With a mischievous glint to his eyes, he adds, “Just make sure that you, Yuta-ssi, and Seungwan-ssi aren’t _too_ chaotic. From what I’ve heard, the three of you are some kind of troublemaking trio.”

Ten blanches. “Um, who told you that?” He demands nervously. _Kim Doyoung I swear to fucking god…_

“I have my sources,” Johnny responds breezily as he closes Ten’s binder. “Anyway, could you get Yuta-ssi to come here? He’s up next on the list.”

“I hope you roast him,” Ten mutters under his breath.

“What was that?”

Ten jumps. “Forget it!” He yelps.

Right as he reaches the door, a surge of bravery strikes him. Ten whirls around and, without a second thought, asks, “How’s the ankle?”

Johnny glances up in surprise. “What?” He blinks, tensing up in confusion.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Chronic foot in the mouth syndrome strikes again._ “I, uh, noticed you were walking kind of funny,” Ten explains awkwardly, body itching to flee the scene. But no; he is a professional, mature adult—he does not run away from anything or anyone. “So I thought it might have been because of your old injury. That’s all. Sorry if I pushed any boundaries.”

The silence stretches between them for what feels like ages. Ten wants to shoot himself in the foot for saying anything—what was he thinking? They weren’t friends back then, and they certainly aren’t now. They just danced together on the same team; nothing more, nothing less. There was that one weekend, sure, but…

“I didn’t think you’d remember,” Johnny speaks up at last. He’s not quite looking Ten in the eye, but his lips form a small, barely visible smile. “It’s been what, five years?”

“Six,” Ten corrects gently.

Johnny chuckles. “Six, damn. Can’t believe it’s been that long already. But yeah, the ankle’s fine. Struggled with it for a few years, but for the most part it’s good now. Thanks for asking.”

“Anyway,” he clears his throat, already back to business. “So can you tell Yuta to come here? I need to get through all these check-ins by the end of the day.”

Disappointment stabs at Ten’s heart. Right as he thought he was maybe getting somewhere with Johnny, the latter pushes him away. For work, sure, but it’s typical.

_Don’t you know that Johnny Seo never stays? He always leaves. No matter what._

“Ten?” Johnny raises a brow, most likely wondering why the hell the salesman is still standing at the door with a stupider than usual look on his face.

“Right,” Ten snaps out of his daze. “Yeah, I’ll go do that.”

He leaves the private room even more lost than when he entered. Why, just _why_ , does Johnny Seo have to be so confusing? He never made sense back in college, and Ten can’t say that he makes any sense now, either. If anything, he's even more confusing than ever.

Back in the office, Yuta is, as per usual, not at his desk. Instead, he’s having a very one-sided conversation with Sicheng, who’s stopped even pretending to nod along and just outright ignores him. The receptionist merely types away at his computer and writes stuff down on sticky notes, not paying any mind to the floundering salesman attempting to win his heart.

Normally, Ten would enjoy watching Yuta struggle, but he’s not really in the mood right now and Yuta does have a meeting to go to. “Hey, bitch,” Ten greets by smacking Yuta on the back of the head. “HR guy needs to see you.”

“What the fuck?” Yuta’s eyes widen in panic. “Shit, am I in trouble already? How the hell did he already find out about—”

“Yeah, he found out about that time you were a pornstar and wants to fire you,” Ten replies, completely serious.

Yuta slaps a hand over Ten’s mouth and shoot a worried glance Sicheng’s way. Luckily, the receptionist has just picked up the phone and shows no signs of having heard any incriminating information. “That was _one time_ okay,” Yuta hisses. 

If looks could kill, Ten would be hurled all the way down to the center of the earth. “Sure thing, _Yukkuri_ ,” he smirks from behind Yuta’s hand.

“It was just to pay the bills! Oh my fucking god—I swear to god, Ten. One of these days I will fucking skin you alive and leave you to the dogs,” Yuta snarls.

“Why are you mad at him now?” Seungwan, who’d snuck up behind them, suddenly speaks up. One of her brows is raised in amusement as she remarks, “Usually I condone committing bodily harm to our Thai twink, but only with valid reason.”

“Valid reason? Since when?” Ten snorts.

Yuta shoots Ten another glare that says _, don’t you fucking dare_. Seungwan already knows about his scandalous past, but he doesn’t want to risk Sicheng finding out. “Let’s just say he’s brought up the unspeakable” he grumbles, finally releasing Ten and stalking off in the direction of the private meeting room.

Seungwan whacks Ten on the head with the folder in her hands. “Now what have you done to the poor boy? How could you bring up his one day stint?” she scolds.

“Since when have you defended Yuta?” Ten retorts.

“I’ve always defended him over you,” Seungwan whacks him again. “But whatever, I’m sure he’ll get over it. More importantly,” she leans closer conspiratorially, “what did Johnny-ssi want to talk to you about?”

Ten shrugs as nonchalantly as possible. “Nothing, really. He just said that he’s doing check ins with everyone and I happened to be first. Just went over my time here and that stuff. Oh, he also told me that he knows about how chaotic you, me, and Yuta are. Said we should probably tone that down.”

“That’s all?” Seungwan exclaims in disbelief. “So we were worried for nothing?”

“Nope,” Ten agrees.

Well, maybe Seungwan and the others don’t have to be worried. After all, none of them have the same past with Johnny Seo as Ten does.

 

_“I have a question.”_

_Johnny briefly takes his eye off the road to glance at his passenger. “What?”_

_Ten fidgets with his hands. “Not to, um, stereotype you or anything, but a red truck?_ Really? _What the hell possessed you to buy this thing? Are you_  that _American?_ ”

_“Excuse me?” Johnny remarks coldly. “What the hell possessed_ you _to insult my choices?”_

_Immediately, Ten shrinks down in his seat, too embarrassed to look to his left._ Good job, idiot, _he scolds himself,_ it’s only been an hour and you’ve already fucked up. Way to win over the man of your dreams.

_And then he hears a laugh. “Sorry, sorry,” Johnny chuckles lightheartedly. “I’m not actually annoyed or anything; it was just a joke. But you want to know the real reason why I have a red truck?”_

_Suddenly, Johnny doesn’t look quite so cheerful anymore. He’s dead serious, with a stony gaze and unamused expression. The shift is nothing but jarring, leaving Ten even more confused than ever._

_“Uh…why?”_

_“Because I’m a goddamn American,” he responds with a straight face._

_Ten pauses. “Well, I guess that explains a lot…”_

 

“ATTENTION!”

Ten winces and covers his ears. Across from him, Yuta does the same. “Jesus, hyung, can’t you keep your voice down,” Yuta complains. “I know you’re a singer and all, but we don’t need to hear that all the time.”

“Shut up,” Jongdae flicks him so hard Yuta recoils back in pain. “I’ll speak however loudly I want, lackey.”

Sunyoung hides a smile behind her hand. “You’ve only been working with him for three years now, how are you not used to that yet?” She teases, sympathetically patting Yuta on the shoulder as he moans over the pain in his forehead..

Yuta glares at the assistant manager. “How the hell do you live with him?”

Jongdae flicks him again, causing the poor salesman to flinch again. “If you don’t stop complaining right now I swear I’ll leak your porn video to the entire building,” he threatens, tone as casual as if he were asking what Yuta had had for lunch. That’s the scariest thing about Jongdae—he’s perfectly nice and normal on the outside, but he’s secretly capable of evil greater than anything the troublemaking trio could ever come up with. He dishes out menacing remarks all too calmly for Ten’s comfort, which is just one of many reasons why Kim Jongdae is the only person Ten doesn’t dare test too much.

Doyoung shoots up from behind his computer, laughing maniacally. “You, porn? Oh my fucking god—you can’t make this shit up?” He bawls obnoxiously, slamming his hands against his desk with every deranged laugh.

“How the hell do you know about that— _Ten!”_ Yuta roars, turning to his friend with fiery eyes. “Didn’t I tell you I’d fucking skin you? Because I’m about this goddamn close—”

Ten holds up his hands in defense. “Wasn’t me this time, buddy. Point your fingers somewhere else.”

“Seungwan!”

“Not guilty!” She calls back from her desk, then resumes talking to Jaemin.

“Then who the fuck—no one knows besides you two!”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Sicheng asks, dropping into the empty chair next to Yuta’s desk. He usually doesn’t interact with the others all that much, but the chaos in the sales cubicles must have captured his attention. “Why are you shouting?” He tilts his head in confusion.

Yuta gulps audibly, eyes bugging out as he stares at his crush. “Um, nothing. I’m just planning on murdering Ten for exposing me,” Yuta explains hastily.

“Oh, about your porn adventures?” Sicheng raises a brow. Calmly, he says, “Yeah, I overheard that earlier. Sorry, I thought the others already knew so I made a joke about it to Jongdae-hyung. Hope you don’t mind.”

Yuta’s jaw doesn’t so much drop as it fucking _plummets_. “Sicheng…you…you…you…”

“Anyway!” Jongdae clears his throat. “Let’s leave Yuta and his pornstar days behind us! I have news!”

“What’s up, hyung?” Ten asks, now curious. He’s never seen Jongdae this excited about anything—well, that’s kind of a lie because Jongdae was definitely more excited that one time he brought his kids in to work. Jungwoo and Yerim are, after all, goddamn adorable. But he’s never been this happy about something work-related, so Ten’s still intrigued.

Seungwan suddenly slides in on Ten’s seat, shoving him halfway off so they can share. “Yeah, what’s got you so excited?” She inquires, propping her chin on her hand in interest.

“Definitely not you,” Ten mumbles under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing concerning you.”’

Jongdae ignores the squabbling duo and claps his hands together loudly. “I’m getting an intern!” He announces with a bright smile.

Everyone just stares at him blankly.

“Okay?” Doyoung raises a confused brow. “And this is good news how?”

Jongdae falters. “Well, uh, I thought it would be nice to have another kid around? To make Jeno and Jaemin feel less lonely?” He explains slowly, losing morale with each word.

Jeno, who’d been silent and focused on his work the whole time, glances up at the mention of his name. “Nope, I don’t feel lonely at all,” he innocently shakes his head.

“You just don’t want more competition for Jaemin’s attention,” Yuta whispers loudly.

“Hyung!” Jeno whines, face completely pink at being caught red-handed.

“Besides, why do _you_ need an intern?” Ten points out. “You’re pretty much Chanyeol-hyung’s intern as it is, so what’s the point?”

“Um, excuse me?”

Seungwan nods solemnly. “Ten actually has a point for once,” she agrees, high-fiving her primary partner in crime. “Assistant manager is just a euphemism for manager’s intern. You’re pretty much Chanyeol-oppa’s lackey and nothing more.”

Jongdae shoots her an unimpressed glare. "Thirty more years, Jongdae,” he grumbles to himself. "Thirty more years until retirement. You can do this."

Now it’s Sunyoung’s turn to flick him on the head. “Actually though, why do you need an intern? It’s not like you have too much work or anything,” she comments, quirking up a brow at her husband.

“Honestly?” Jongdae shrugs. “I didn’t think I needed one, either. But Johnny and I were talking about promoting young workers during our meeting and he suggested it. Said he’s already prepared some applicants and just needs me to interview them. So I thought, why the hell not?”

“Wow, what a deep and profound reason,” Doyoung remarks sarcastically.

Jongdae rolls his eyes. “You’re just jealous, Doyoung. I bet you wished you had an intern to do your bidding.”

“Nah,” Doyoung shakes his head quickly. “Trust me, sitting here’s made me realize that having an intern isn’t all that. Ten looks like he wants to rip his hair out every time Jeno doesn’t listen because he’s too busy paying attention to Jaemin.”

Jeno lets out a small noise of protest, but that goes largely ignored.

“Damn,” Jongdae deflates noticeably, a pout already on his catlike lips. “I really thought you’d all be more excited. Guess I was wrong.”

“Trust me; we’ve already got a newcomer here, the last thing we need is another one so soon,” Ten points out. He shoots a quick look over his shoulder to Johnny’s desk, which, thankfully, is empty right now. He must still be in meetings.

Jongdae seems sad for about another millisecond, then he shrugs and everything is back to normal. “Oh well,” he says matter-of-factly. Shooting a knowing look at Ten, Seungwan, and Yuta, he adds, “Back to work then, slacker squad.”

“I take great offense,” Seungwan declares as she finally gets off of Ten’s seat and strolls back over to her desk. “Don’t group me with those two—I’m neither a pornstar nor a twink,” she calls over her shoulder.

Yuta throws his hands up in frustration. “Say that any louder, why doncha?”

Sicheng pats his arm in pity, causing Yuta’s face to turn five different shades of red. “Don’t worry, I think everyone already know at this point, anyway,” he consoles the salesman.

“That really doesn’t make me feel any better, but thanks,” Yuta sniffs miserably.

“Hey, it could be worse,” Ten points out helpfully. With a devious grin, he adds, “I mean, at least they don’t about that one time you ate an entire batch of pot brownies and—”

Yuta leaps out of his chair and claws at Ten’s throat. “We don’t speak of that!” He roars so loudly Ten swears the entire office shakes. Or maybe that's just because he's getting attacked.

Sunyoung shakes her head and turns to Jeno. “Idiots,” she remarks flatly. “I work with idiots.”

 

Taeil blinks. “Oh, hello Ten. Not that I mind, but why are you sitting with us? Don’t you have work to do?”

“Uh, because I’m on an angry Japanese dude’s hit list? And Sunyoung-noona said she’d cover me until Johnny gets back?”

A pause, then Taeil lets out a long sigh. “I suppose that’s reason enough,” he muses, already returning to his work despite the unfamiliar presence of a short Thai man breathing down his neck.

Sooyoung sticks her head over the partition between her desk and Taeil’s. “Don’t be so weak, oppa. You gotta kick him out before he tarnishes the reputation of customer relations forever,” she grins encouragingly.

“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again—I like Seungwan so much better than you!” Ten retaliates. He’s about to throw more choice insults Sooyoung’s way, but then he gets distracted by the sight of a bag of chips on Taeil’s desk. “Oh, are these barbecue flavored? Mind if I steal some, hyung?”

“Mmm, go ahead,” Taeil mumbles, halfheartedly shoving the bag Ten’s way.

Ten cheers, then digs in.

“You can’t just let him win like that!” Sooyoung protests. “Come on, Taeil-oppa—grow up and get rid of him!”

“Hey, I’m right here,” Ten complains through a mouthful of chips.

Taeil just shrugs. “As much of a nuisance as he can be, I really don’t mind him all that much. Spending so many years in this team has made me immune to bullshit,” he muses absently, too absorbed in his work. “Hey, do you have that file on Amber Liu? She wants me to call her back in a bit to clarify some things.”

“Gotcha,” Sooyoung nods, smoothly handing the file over. “Which reminds me, actually—you got Shin Donghee’s? I need to email him.”

Without missing a beat, Taeil slides a manila folder Sooyoung’s way.

“Why do I feel like I’ve been forgotten,” Ten complains. He flops across Taeil’s back and hits the older man a few times to get his attention, but to no avail. “Seriously, you guys are so boring. All you do is work all day and never have any fun. You’re literally stuck in this corner and don’t do anything interesting.”

Taeil doesn’t even bother shoving him off. “It’s called working hard to make money, Ten. I do it to make a living,” he responds disinterestedly.

Ten considers that for a moment, then decides that Taeil is, in fact, still boring. As the only two in customer relations, Taeil and Sooyoung are a bit isolated from the rest of the team. They’re still close, no doubt, but their desks are quite literally shoved into the farthest corner of the office. Compared to the close proximity between accounting and sales, the customer relations workers are too far to interact with. Most of the time, Taeil and Sooyoung don’t even notice the antics going on.

“Besides,” Sooyoung speaks up with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I’d think twice before calling us boring. We may not get involved in your dumb shit with Yuta and Seungwan, but we know everything that goes on in this office. _Everything_.”

“Oh?” Ten leans forward in interest. “Everything, you say? What’s this _everything_?”

Taeil stops typing and places a hand on Ten’s shoulder. “Believe it or not, this corner gives us the greatest vantage point of the office. We see all, hear all, and know all,” he discloses with upmost seriousness.

Ten sits up straight and surveys the office. Taeil’s right—although the cubicles are smooshed into the corner, it’s a very strategic location. He can see through the windows of break room, the other cubicles, the front desk, and hey, who knew that Chanyeol’s opaque glass walls had a blind spot? The desks are behind Baekhyun’s, enabling Ten to see everything on the secretary’s screen (the guy’s on YouTube right now watching videos of what Ten thinks are of Baekhyun and Jongdae singing, but he’ll have to revisit that thought later for potential blackmail material).

“Wow,” he remarks in awe. “You’re right. You guys can see everything from here.”

Sooyoung’s smirk deepens. “Oh, that’s not all,” she crooks a finger to signal Ten to lean in closer. “You see, we’re also right next to the printers,” Sooyoung gestures to the printing and copying machines directly behind her desk. “And you’d be surprised by how much juicy information we hear. People let their guards down because they think the sounds of the machines are loud enough to hide their voices or that we don't care, but nothing escapes Moon Taeil’s x-ray hearing.”

“I don’t think x-ray hearing is a thing.”

Taeil responds by placing his index finger on Ten’s lips. “Shhhhh,” he whispers with wide, spooky eyes. “My hearing capability is greater than anything you could ever imagine. Fear my ears and their omniscience.”

Ten shrinks back in discomfort. Taeil is boring most of the time, but that doesn’t hide the fact that he’s downright _weird_ as hell. “Okay, you’re really starting to creep me out now. I kind of regret coming here.”

“But don’t you want to know some of the things we’ve witnessed?” Sooyoung bats her eyelashes seductively. “I never thought I’d live to see the day when you of all people turn down gossip.”

Dammit, she’s really got him good there. He hates to admit it, but Ten is a sucker for rumors and gossip. Whenever anything happens, he wants to be the first to know. And if it’s concerning his dear colleagues? Well, how is he supposed to resist that?

“Spill,” he grins, leaning even closer. “Tell me everything.”

Sooyoung taps her chin in thought. She exchanges a smug look with Taeil and says, “Well, we can confirm with upmost certainty that the beloved interns? They’re not quite as slow as you’d think.”

“Mmhmm,” Taeil nods in agreement. “Just the other day they were here by the printer—or at least, Jaemin came to print something and Jeno followed him like a lost puppy. Dear Jeno somehow managed to ask Jaemin if he’d like to get coffee some time. Well what do you know, Jaemin said yes.”

“No way,” Ten covers his mouth in shock. He spares a glance back over to the sales desks, where Jeno is listening to Sunyoung with more interest than he’s ever shown Ten. It hurts a bit, but it’s only to be expected.

“I know, right? I thought it would take ages before he tried to make a move,” Sooyoung agrees. “And that’s not all. Did you know that whenever Yuta gets laid, he wears that pink tie with the cherries the next day?”

Now that Ten thinks about it, he has seen that tie on multiple occasions. Not so much anymore considering Yuta’s been trying to court Sicheng for the better part of a year now, but back when Ten first joined he’d see that tie every other week. Damn, the cherries really should’ve been a dead giveaway.

It would be an understatement to say he’s thoroughly impressed by Sooyoung and Taeil’s snooping. “What else do you know?” Ten questions, eager to learn as much as he can.

“Doyoung has a flash drive full of viruses to unleash on anyone who annoys him too much,” Taeil offers.

“Yup,” Sooyoung nods in confirmation. “And Sicheng’s the one who’s been leaving sunflower seeds all over the break room.”

“Sometimes Yuta will watch anime at his desk. He cried over the ending of _Steins;Gate_.”

“Sunyoung lost her ring once so she spent the whole day ordering a replacement before Jongdae could notice. I don’t think he even knows to this day.”

“Chanyeol and Kyungsoo used to make out in the private office when they were still together.”

“Oh yeah, those were some interesting days. Every time Kyungsoo would visit and they’d close the door Baekhyun looked like he’d start crying,” Sooyoung shakes her head sadly.

Ten perks up in interest. All of the tidbits Sooyoung and Taeil have shared are juicy indeed, but none so much as the last one. “Speaking of Baekhyun and Chanyeol, what else do you know about them?” He whispers.

Taeil and Sooyoung exchange uneasy glances. The former opens his mouth to respond, but right at that moment a familiar loud voice cuts across the office.

“Oi!” Jongdae yells all the way from his desk across the room. “If I see Sunyoung covering your phone one more time I’ll tell Chanyeol to dock your pay!”

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Ten sighs regretfully. “Thanks guys, this has been fun. Tell me more next time.”

Sooyoung snorts. “There won’t be a next time, Ten. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Like you can resist me!”

Taeil lets out yet another sigh. “I’ve just wasted fifteen minutes of precious working time,” he mumbles miserably. “Thanks a lot for killing my productivity, Ten.”

“You’re welcome,” Ten states brightly.

The weary customer relations worker just shakes his head.

 

_Kim Jongdae: By the way, I’m forcing you to stay for an extra hour after work. Consider that your punishment._

_Ten: Bro wtf._

_Kim Jongdae: Don’t you fucking dare “bro” me you little bitch._

_Kim Jongdae: You’re staying for an hour and that’s final._

 

As much as he loves to gossip and dig up dirt on people, Ten ultimately knows that rumors are, well, rumors. Maybe they end up being true, but at least half of all rumors are baseless. Hell, he knows how ridiculous some rumors can be based on his own life experience. One time senior year, a rumor had spread across his circle of friends claiming that Ten was secretly in love with his best friend Taeyong and was jealous of Jaehyun. Of course, Ten had retched the second he’d caught wind of that news. Him, in love with Taeyong? Please. He could never romantically love anyone with as flat of an ass as Taeyong’s.

There is one rumor, however, that Ten has known to be true for a long time now:

Johnny Seo always leaves.

Everyone knows it. Back in college, Johnny had been decently popular despite not exactly having a huge group of friends. But because he was on the prestigious dance team and was best friends with cool boys Hansol and Sehun, he was by association well known amongst the general university population. How couldn’t he be, when he looked the way he did and towered above most others? Girls and boys alike were attracted to his handsome face and kind personality, and it didn’t surprise anyone whenever Johnny had a new love interest.

Well, that’s just the problem, though. Johnny engaged in several romantic relationships over the course of college, but none of them lasted for more than a few months. Some people speculated that he was a player and only agreed to go out with people to toy with their emotions. Others argued that maybe Johnny’s real personality was actually quite sinister, so once people had been drawn in by his handsome face they were scared off by the real Johnny.

Ten, however, disagreed. Johnny didn’t seem like a player or capable of evil; he just seemed _distant_. He didn’t have a lot of close friends other than his small circle, and he never seemed particularly close to dance team, either. Sure he was the president his senior year, but that was mostly because there weren’t other seniors on the team that year. He was friendly and kind to all, but things never really went further than that. Ten only spoke to him a handful of times over the course of their years as dance teammates, but in a strange, unexplainable way, it always felt like Johnny never actually _saw_ him when they were talking.

One time, Ten had overheard Sehun and Hansol talking about Johnny. They were worried about him for some reason that Ten couldn’t quite catch, but something they kept bringing up was the lack of permanence in their best friend’s life. Apparently Johnny had been bounced back and forth between Chicago and Korea since he was a kid, and his four years of university would be the longest he’d stayed in one place at a time. As someone who’d struggled plenty during his move from Bangkok to Seoul, Ten knows just how hard it is to adjust to new environments. But for Johnny to go back and forth without ever staying for too long? That seems…difficult, to say the least.

But just like people said he would, Johnny left. The second he graduated, he was on a plane back to Chicago. Sure he came back to Korea after a few years, and according to that Instagram post Taeyong found Johnny was here to stay this time. Ten, however, doesn’t believe that.

Johnny Seo always leaves, after all. No matter what.

 

“Bye, hyung!” Jeno waves cheerfully, the smallest hint of a shit-eating grin on his face. “Enjoy your hour of unpaid overtime!”

Ten’s hands automatically find the stapler and he almost hurls it at Jeno, but then he remembers that this is his beloved intern and not Yuta or Seungwan; therefore, it would be morally wrong to throw office supplies at him, no matter how tempting it may be.

“If you were a good little intern, you’d stay behind with me,” Ten mutters through gritted teeth.

“Nope!” Jeno exclaims brightly. He waves again before hightailing it out of there. “Hey Nana, wait up!”

Grumbling under his breath, Ten reluctantly turns back to the report he’d been in the middle of. “I hope you never fuck your precious Nana,” he hisses vehemently, stabbing down on his keyboard with more force than necessary.

A light, angelic giggle resounds from behind him. Ten swivels around in his spinning chair, ready to fight whoever had the goddamn nerve to laugh at him and his dire situation. But then he realizes that it’s Baekhyun, and if there’s one person he really can’t get mad it it’s the sweet, harmless secretary.

“Don’t take out your anger on your cute intern,” Baekhyun teases. He’s already got his coat on and bag over his shoulder, which means he’s probably heading out, too. Lucky him, Ten thinks bitterly.

Baekhyun smiles kindly and says, “And I wouldn’t worry too much about Jongdae. He may seem scary sometimes when he threatens people, but he’s a big softie. You probably won’t even have to stay the full hour—I’m sure he doesn’t actually care and is just doing this to make fun of you.”

Ten entertains that thought for a second. Yeah, he’d really like to get out of here as soon as possible before the traffic on the subway becomes unbearable, and it would be nice to call Taeyong a little earlier today. But at the same time, he does feel a little bad for always making Sunyoung cover for him and he really did slack off a bit too much today. 

“It’s fine,” he sighs dejectedly. “Jongdae-hyung’s right. Besides, it’s just an hour. I can survive that.”

Baekhyun peers down at him in concern. “Are you sure? I mean, the traffic is already bad now but it’ll be terrible by six. You really don’t have to—”

“Baek?” Chanyeol calls, emerging from his private office with his jacket on. “You ready to go?”

Hesitantly, Baekhyun’s eyes dart back and forth between the manager and the salesman. “Just give me a sec,” he says to Chanyeol before turning back to Ten. “Seriously, though. Don’t take Jongdae too seriously. Well, you kinda should because he’s your superior, but he doesn’t actually mean it when he threatens people.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Ten smiles gratefully. He can count the number of times he’s had a one-on-one conversation with Baekhyun on one hand, but he does like the secretary. Baekhyun can be quite mischievous and has a loud personality when he’s with Jongdae, but he’s quite kind. 

Admittedly, it makes Ten feel a little bad now when he thinks of all the times he’s made fun of Baekhyun’s crush on Chanyeol.

“No problem,” Baekhyun sticks his thumb up in encouragement. “Make it home safe! I hope the traffic isn’t too bad when you leave.”

With that, he jogs off to meet Chanyeol, falling into step with the much taller man as they walk out of the office together.

Now that he’s all alone in the room, Ten lets out a long sigh and slams his head down on his desk. He loves his job, but working for an hour by himself? Hell no. What’s the point of being in the office when there’s no one else around? No Seungwan and Yuta to clown around with, no Jeno to tease, no Sunyoung and Jongdae to annoy, no nothing. Every day he’s thankful that Chanyeol selected him for the team, because he doesn’t know how he would’ve lived with any other group of people.

“Ten?”

Exhausted, Ten lifts his head and blearily stares up at the person who’d called his name. “What? Here to make fun of me?” He mumbles, barely registering whomever’s standing before him.

Johnny tilts his head in bemusement. “What are you still doing here? Everyone else left like twenty minutes ago.”

_Oh_. “I’m being punished,” Ten clarifies, flopping his arms around weakly. Normally he’d be more self-conscious and nervous around Johnny Seo, but right now he can’t bring himself to care.

“Punished for what?” Johnny asks, struggling to hold back an amused grin.

“For being an idiot. And a slacker. And a troublemaker. And for being annoying,” Ten says. Damn, has he always been this emo or is he just tired? Whatever, he’s feeling emo so he’s gonna be that way.

Johnny observes him with an unreadable glint in his eyes. Like Chanyeol and Baekhyun, he’s also got his jacket on and briefcase in hand, ready to head home for the day. Ten doesn’t get why the hell Johnny’s still here talking to him when traffic gets worse by the second, but he doesn’t particularly mind. It’s nice to have company.

Finally, Johnny shakes his head and says, “Come on, let’s go.”

“Huh?” Ten jolts up in surprise. Are his ears deceiving him, or did Johnny Seo really just initiate something? And breaking the rules, nonetheless? “No no no, it’s fine,” he insists. “It really is my fault that Jongdae-hyung punished me, so I’m fine with staying. Besides, it’s just an hour, it’s not gonna kill me. I’m fi—”

Calmly, Johnny reaches over and powers off Ten’s computer. “Forget about this punishment,” he snorts dismissively. “Even I know Jongdae-ssi wasn’t actually serious, and I’ve only known him for a few weeks. Come on, you’re not gonna get into any trouble if you don’t stay. Hell, he won’t even know because everyone else has already left.”

“But—” Ten begins, only to cut himself off. Johnny’s right; who the fuck cares about some punishment? Jongdae himself most definitely doesn’t even care, so why should Ten?

Mind made up, Ten hops out of his chair and begins gathering his things together. “You’re right,” he grins up at Johnny. “Fuck Jongdae-hyung, I’m a free man!”

“Language,” Johnny chides. “I’m still your HR rep, don’t forget that. You can go around saying fuck your assistant manager all you want, but not around me.”

Ten’s grin only widens. “Roger that, sir,” he salutes.

Johnny rolls his eyes without any malice. “Now that’s the Ten we all know,” he comments amusedly.

“Anyway,” he checks his watch. “You ready to go? I heard you don’t have a car so I can give you a ride.”

Ten’s heart leaps up to his throat. Now this right here— _this_ is venturing towards some dangerous territory. He’s struck by flashbacks to The Weekend junior year, when he should’ve been studying for his Econ final but instead he got into the truck of a boy he had an unrequited crush on. When he’d said fuck all logic and just went with his gut feeling. 

Had he actually learned from his past, he should say no right now. Tell Johnny that it’s okay—the subway shouldn’t be too crowded right now, and even if it is he doesn’t want to be an inconvenience. Close that door that had been opened for a few days and put an end to whatever might start. Because in the end Johnny always, _always_ leaves. It would be better for both of them if Ten said no.

But, because he’s never been one to learn from past mistakes, Ten slips his backpack on and says, “Okay.”

 

_Nakamoto Yuta has created a new group chat with Son Seungwan, Kim Doyoung, Moon Taeil, Park Sooyoung, and Dong Sicheng._

_Nakamoto Yuta has renamed the group chat to “RIP CHITTAPHON”_

_Nakamoto Yuta: I’d like to send a prayer today to our dear friend Ten, who’s just experienced Kim Jongdae’s full wrath._

_Son Seungwan: Amen._

_Kim Doyoung: Please—you all know that Jongdae-hyung of all people isn’t actually mad._

_Son Seungwan: Yeah, on second thought you’re right. I heard him laughing about it with Sunyoung-unnie later, saying he can’t believe Ten actually fell for it._

_Dong Sicheng: I bet Ten’s already left._

_Moon Taeil: Really? I feel like he’d be too scared to and is still there._

_Nakamoto Yuta: Should we make an official bet on it?_

_Park Sooyoung: I wouldn’t be so quick to do that if I were you._

_Kim Doyoung: Huh? Why not?_

_Park Sooyoung: Because I just saw him walk out the door with HR guy._

_Son Seungwan: WHAT_

_Nakamoto Yuta: WHAT THE FUCK_

_Kim Doyoung: HUH???!!!_

_Dong Sicheng: Wow_

_Moon Taeil: Damn. Now I’m glad we didn’t actually bet on it._

_Park Sooyoung: I can’t believe Ten’s actually making a move after all these years. About goddamn time._

_Nakamoto Yuta: Making a move? All these years?_ _What does that mean?_

_Park Sooyoung: Wait, you guys don’t know?_

_Son Seungwan: Know what? Do you know something we don’t?_

_Park Sooyoung: Oh boy._

 

Like a fool, Ten speaks the first words that come to mind. “What happened to the truck?”

Not for the first time that day, Johnny stiffens and slowly faces Ten. “What?”

_There it goes again—foot in the mouth like usual_. “You used to have a red truck,” Ten points out quietly, once again wishing for a hole to appear and suck him into the ground. “I just thought you might still have it, that’s all.”

Johnny just gets into his silver car without saying anything. Ten briefly considers booking it on out of there and running to the subway, but then he decides that his mother did not raise him to be a weak boy so he opens the passenger door and gets in.

“I sold it before I went back to America,” Johnny says once they make it out of the parking garage. He’s doing that thing again where he sits rigidly, elbows straight and knuckles clenched around the steering wheel. Had he been wearing a white T-shirt and earrings instead of his formal suit, Ten would’ve mistaken this moment for one from six years ago.

Johnny shrugs and continues, says, “And besides, that was a long time ago and the truck was already kind of old. It wouldn’t have lasted this long anyway.”

“I see,” Ten replies awkwardly, not quite sure what he’s supposed to say. Judging by Johnny’s tone, the guy doesn’t seem too keen on discussing the past. Unsurprising, really, given how Ten is well aware of the distance Johnny tends to put between himself and others. 

The rest of the ride is spent in relative silence, with Ten occasionally giving Johnny instructions on where to turn. It’s suffocating being in the same car as the man he shares a rather interesting history with, and unnerving to say the least. But it’s mostly just downright _confusing_. Ten’s never known Johnny all that well, but he can’t come up with a single reason as to why Johnny barely acknowledges him. Hell, he talks to Sooyoung plenty—why can’t he at least say something to his former teammate?

“Can we stop doing this?” Ten suddenly blurts out as Johnny drives through a busy intersection. 

Johnny still won’t meet his eyes. “Doing what?” He replies smoothly, voice not giving away any uneasiness or discomfort that he’s surely got to be feeling.

Ten balls his hands into fists. “Pretending we don’t know each other.”

It feels like yet another eternity has passed before Johnny breaks the silence. “Ten,” he exhales. “We _don’t_ know each other. We barely spoke to each other in college and one weekend doesn’t change that. We weren’t friends back then and we aren’t exactly friends now, either.”

“Then why did you ask me to go with you?” Ten challenges. Strangely he also can’t quite look Johnny’s way so he chooses to stare out the window at the surrounding cars. “Yeah, we definitely weren’t friends. But you still asked if I wanted to go. It was just the two of us for almost three fucking days, and now you’re gonna act like we only knew each other from dance team?”

“Ten,” Johnny sighs wearily, his grip tightening even more around the wheel. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay? I wasn’t in a good place at the time, and I’m sorry for dragging you in. That was six years ago, can’t we just forget about it?”

Harnessing all his self control, Ten just barely holds himself back from throttling Johnny on the spot. _No,_ he wants to shout. _No, I’m not about to just fucking forget about three days that have been haunting me for years. No, you didn’t drag me in when I came with you voluntarily. No, I’m not just about to move on until you give me more answers. Fuck you and your bullshit._

Instead, he slumps down in his seat and glares straight ahead. “Fine,” he sniffs.

It only takes a few more minutes to reach Ten’s apartment complex. He’s more than ready to hurtle out of the car and dash away without looking back, but then a hand on his arm causes his brain to malfunction.

“I’m only here for eleven more months,” Johnny says. Ten can’t quite detect the emotion in his voice, but it sounds like a plea of sorts. “Eleven more months, then I’m going back to Incheon. I just want this to be a smooth time, okay? I’m not asking for us all to be friends; if we can at least get along, then that’s all I’m asking for.”

“Please, Ten. I’m sorry if you think I’m being unfair, but I really would prefer to leave the past behind.”

Ten sneers. “Fuck you,” he spits, shaking Johnny’s hand off and slamming the door behind him as hard as he can.

His heart beats unnervingly quickly as he jams his keys into the door of his apartment. The ghost of a hand with rough callouses remains on his forearm, undeterred no matter how hard he tries to shoo it away. _Shut the fuck up_ , he hisses to his stupid, traitorous heart. _Go to hell and stay there already._

 

_Nakamoto Yuta: Hey man can we talk about something?_

_Ten: Sorry, not in the mood. Maybe later._

 

“Hey, what’s up?” Taeyong greets brightly. “I didn’t think you’d call until after dinner.”

Ten doesn’t have the patience or the time for any formalities, so he just dives right on in. “Junior year, the weekend before finals,” he says. “You remember that?”

Taeyong hesitates on the other end. “You mean that weekend where you went totally MIA and I almost killed you when you got back? Yeah, I sure as hell remember that,” Taeyong states flatly.

Fiddling with the hem of his shirt, Ten inhales deeply and mutters, “I was with Johnny Seo.”

He hears a dull clunk, which he presumes to be the sound of Taeyong dropping his phone. His suspicions are confirmed a few seconds later when he hears shuffling and Taeyong’s angry voice demands, “What the hell? Oh my god, what the actual fuck? Ten, why didn’t you tell me? I can’t believe you hid this from me for six years, oh my fucking god. Did you sleep with him? Is that why you never said anything? I swear—”

“I didn’t sleep with him,” Ten interrupts gently. His fingers have shifted from fidgeting with the hem of his shirt to his tie, suddenly feeling like he can’t breathe. As he struggles to remove his tie with one hand, he tells Taeyong, “Nothing happened. Nothing like that, at least.”

“Oh,” Taeyong pauses. “So what’s the problem, then? If nothing happened, why didn’t you tell me?”

Ten finally manages to get the offensive tie off and throws it on the table. “That’s the thing, though,” he murmurs longingly. “Nothing happened, but something almost did.”

“Ten, I hope you realize that you’re not making any sense right now.”

“Let’s just say that I let him get away, and now I think I’ve done that again,” Ten responds vaguely.

Taeyong lets out a frustrated sigh. “Okay, Tennie. You’d better start from the top.”

 

On Friday morning, Ten strolls into work early with his lucky thermos Taeyong gifted him as a graduation present. He’s feeling quite good, actually—talking to Taeyong always makes him feel a lot better, he’d gotten nine hours of sleep, and the rush on the subway wasn’t too bad. All these signs must be divine intervention telling him that hey, his life is actually pretty great, so he should be enjoying it. Ten is young, confident, attractive, and has a good job with friends he loves—Johnny Seo be damned!

Well, at least, he _was_ having a good morning. That is, until he walks into the break room to put his lunch in the refrigerator and comes face to face with the unthinkable—the unexpected, the unimaginable, the _damn near impossible._

Seungwan is propped against the counter with a mug of coffee in her hands, tossing her head back elegantly as she laughs with Johnny Seo.

The lucky thermos falls to the ground.

“Oh, hey Ten,” Seungwan waves casually. “What’s with that dumb look on your face?”

Embarrassed, Ten stoops down to pick up his—now dented—thermos, keeping his head down to mourn the damage and hide his flushed face. “Shut up, noona,” he grumbles half-heartedly. “Your face is so dumb no wonder you’ve been single for ages.”

“Very mature,” Seungwan remarks, sticking out her tongue. “Says the one who’s been single for as long as I’ve known him!”

Ten considers flipping her off for revealing such damning information in front of Johnny Seo, but then he decides that he’d prefer not to get written up by the HR rep and calmly places his lunch in the fridge. “Why are we still friends, noona?”

“Because I’m the only one who can put up with your bullshit?”

“Hmph.”

Johnny, meanwhile, observes the duo’s antics with an amused expression. “I take it you two are close, then?” He grins teasingly, any sign of the altercation between him and Ten invisible.

“Indeed,” Seungwan sighs dramatically. “I still remember the first day he stumbled in here. Lost, confused, and oh so young. Feels like it was just yesterday.”

Unable to resist the temptation, Ten throws a plastic spoon at her head. “That was literally two years ago!”

“I had to take him under my wing, you know. Even though we’re in different departments, Sunyoung got annoyed with him real fast and Yuta wasn’t too much help. It’s all because of me that Ten’s now the man he is,” Seungwan explains somberly.

Another spoon hurtles her way. “Do you ever shut up?” Ten demands.

“You already know the answer to that!” Seungwan retorts.

Johnny coughs to hide his laughter. “Well then,” he chuckles. “I guess I’ll leave you to bicker. Don’t get into too much trouble, you two—I know all the rumors about the things you do around here, trust me.”

“Fuck the rumors,” Ten mutters venomously.

“Language,” Seungwan and Johnny say at the same time, much to their amusement as they laugh again.

Ten pinches himself on the cheek. Sadly, he doesn’t wake up and this strange, unthinkable reality remains true. 

Honestly, fuck his life.


	4. Ten is emo, Seungwan is the devil, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun don't make sense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: This chapter is honestly pretty filler-y, but it sets up some things for the later chapters. So don't expect too much actual substance lol this was just me trying to be funny.

Seungwan, Ten supposes, is pretty. She doesn’t have Sooyoung’s model-like proportions or Sunyoung’s bright energy, but Seungwan is still quite attractive. Sure she’s pretty short and Ten thinks she’d look better if she stopped with the bangs, but she’s got a snarky, hilarious personality and serves as a great older sister role to him and Yuta. So all in all, he can see why people are attracted to her.

But at the same time…really? _Seungwan?_

“If you keep staring at me I’ll knock your teeth out,” the devil herself declares flatly, peering over her reading glasses at the man currently resting his chin on her cubicle and staring at her without blinking. “Seriously, Ten. What’s wrong with you today?”

“I don’t get it,” Ten sighs dramatically.

Seungwan frowns. “Don’t get what?”

It all started that day Ten walked in on them laughing together in the break room, also known as the day after Ten told Johnny to fuck off and confessed the truth about The Weekend to Taeyong. Since then, Ten’s kept a close eye on every interaction between Johnny and Seungwan—ranging from as minuscule as the two greeting each other in the mornings to as confusing as Johnny outright telling Seungwan she looks nice to as downright scandalous as them getting coffee together. Sure, they just seem like friends right now, but friendships can easily become relationships. Ten wouldn’t have guessed Seungwan would like someone like Johnny considering she used to date Jongdae and the two men are pretty much polar opposites, but that’s what he gets for making assumptions. Furthermore, while Johnny has admittedly started to fit in more with the team members, he seems particularly close with Seungwan. 

The TLDR? Ten suspects there’s something going on between Johnny and Seungwan, and he doesn’t quite know how he feels about that.

Next to Seungwan, Jaemin mutters under his breath, “I think Ten-hyung’s finally lost his marbles for good.”

“Oh, he has,” Seungwan stage whispers back to him with wide eyes. “But right now he’s got his thinking face on, and that usually backfires for him.”

Ten ignores the slander mentor and apprentice dish at him and fixes his gaze on Jaemin, who jumps at the intensity of Ten’s glare. “Hey, kid—you think she’s pretty?”

“Huh?” Jaemin reels back, expression befuddled. “I mean, I’m not into girls, but I guess? That’s kind of a strange question though, hyung.”

Ten makes a mental note of Jaemin’s coming out statement, reminding himself to casually mention that to Jeno later. “Mmm, I see,” he nods, narrowing his eyes as he observes Seungwan once more.

She rips her glasses off and scowls at him. “Okay, what’s wrong with you today? Staring at me and asking my intern if he thinks I’m pretty?” With a wicked smirk, she coquettishly asks, “You wouldn’t happen to have a crush on me, would you, dear Ten?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Ten responds dismissively. “I thought we’ve already established long ago that I don’t like pussy, and you’re not enough to change my mind.”

“What a relief,” she comments flatly. “Now if you’ve had enough fun, I’d like to actually get my work done and teach my intern some things. I’d suggest you go back to your desk and do the same.”

Ten merely continues staring at her face. Her bangs are swept to the side today, allowing for some rare forehead exposure. The very first time he met her, she’d had a completely free forehead. Over time it had become obscured by bangs she insisted on keeping, but on the unexpected occasions in which the forehead can still be seen, Ten thinks she’s twice as pretty than usual.

Which is why he reaches over and promptly pushes her bangs over to cover her forehead. _Much better,_ he thinks smugly.

Squawking in annoyance, Seungwan slaps his hands off her hair and shoots him a death glare as she rearranges her bangs. “If you don’t leave my space in the next twenty seconds, I’ll call Johnny over here to drag you back to sales,” she threatens.

“You’re friends with him? How?” Ten blurts out, shocked by the lack of honorifics she used. How could she already be so close with Johnny? Since when did that happen?”

Seungwan raises a brow. “How? Because I’m a normal person who’s nice to all her coworkers. That’s how.”

“You, nice?” Ten snorts in disbelief.

“Watch your mouth or else I’ll shove you into the shredder.”

Jaemin slowly stands up from his chair. “I think I’ll take a quick bathroom break right now,” he whistles casually, making a beeline out of the office.

Seungwan taps Ten on the head with a pencil. “Okay, what’s up with you today? You’re already annoying enough as it is, but for some reason you’ve cranked up the volume to five times the annoying. Did something happen?”

“Well…” Ten trails off, not sure how or where to start explaining all his conflicting emotions. _I think you have a thing with the guy I had (have???) a thing for, and that’s making me feel incredibly insecure because he seems to like you a hell of a lot more than he likes me._

“I don’t know,” he says at last with a sigh, slumping down over the partition on Seungwan’s cubicle. “I just don’t feel particularly productive today, that’s all.”

“As opposed to every day?” Seungwan remarks dryly, eyeing him just the tiniest bit skeptically. “You sure that’s all?”

Ten averts his gaze. “What else would be bothering me?” He says, trying to be as casual as possible.

Seungwan opens her mouth—probably to spit out some witty retort—but then she hesitates and her expression turns more sympathetic. “You know you can tell me anything, right? I mean, I’ve been kind of worried about you ever since Taeyong moved—you don’t feel like, lonely, do you? Or like, maybe you think you don’t have anyone to open up to?”

Of all things to possibly come from her mouth, Ten was not expecting such bluntness. As sarcastic and mocking Seungwan can be to him, her words are never biting or cruel. She truly does care about him as a friend and little brother figure, and she’s perceptive enough to be able to tell that Ten hasn’t quite been himself for a while now. Suddenly feeling guilty for being so petty over such a small non-issue, Ten offers her a wide grin and says, “I’m fine, noona. Admittedly things haven’t been easy recently, but I’ve got you, after all.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Seungwan returns his smile with her own. In the back of his mind, Ten can’t help but think that maybe that’s the reason why Johnny seems to like her—that kind, genuine smile.

“But,” she continues, slipping her glasses back on and returning to her spreadsheets. “I’ve got a lot of work to do, so if you don’t go back to your desk right this instant, I’ll lock your ass in a crate of fruit and ship you back to Bangkok. Got it?”

Shuddering at the imagery, Ten salutes and says, “Yes, ma’am.”

 

_A hand on his shoulder shakes him awake. “Hey,” Johnny’s voice rings out, unexpectedly soft and gentle. “We’re here now.”_

_“Mmm,” Ten yawns, stretching out his arms and blinking rapidly to wake himself up. “How long was I out for?”_

_“Just an hour or so.”_

_When all the sleepiness has been rubbed out of his eyes, Ten finally has a chance to take in their surroundings. All he sees around them is green—green trees, grass, leaves, and even the sky seems to have reflected the color and taken on the faintest of green tints. Directly in front of the car stands a small cabin—painted red in a stark contrast to all the greenery._

_Johnny’s already out of the car and heading up the front steps, so Ten hastily unbuckles his seat belt and scrambles after him. “So how do you know this place, exactly?” He questions as Johnny fits the key into the lock. “Is this your family’s?”_

_“No, we’re breaking in,” Johnny deadpans._

_Ten shoots him an unimpressed glare._

_“Kidding,” Johnny cracks the smallest of smiles. “It’s Hansol’s family’s vacation spot, except they stopped coming up here. They didn’t want to sell it though, so they give Hansol and his friends free rein. I come up here with my friends a lot.”_

_Ten hides his grimace at the mention of Johnny’s friends. He knows exactly which clique that is. Sehun, Hansol, Seulgi, Soojung, Jongin, and Jinri. While he doesn’t necessarily have any negative feelings towards any of them—hell, most of the are on the dance teams so he’s actually gotten to know them fairly well—they’re a reminder of the distance between Ten and Johnny. The latter’s friends with cool people, whereas the former doesn’t have many companions other than Taeyong and Jaehyun._

_“Hey,” Johnny calls. Only then does Ten notice that while he’s been deep in thought, Johnny’s already gotten the door open and walked into the hallway. “You coming or not?”_

_It’s still not too late to turn back, Ten muses. If he were Taeyong or had a better sense of self-preservation, he’d apologize for the inconvenience and find a way back to the dorms. Turn back now and never confront what could have been._

_But Ten is Ten, so he nods and steps inside._

 

“So I reviewed some recordings of your calls last night, and I’m pretty impressed. The only pressing thing I noticed was—hey! Are you listening to me or not, you brat?”

Jeno, however, doesn’t seem to have heard anything Ten just said—in fact, he hasn’t even looked at Ten for the past twenty minutes. He’s far too busy glowering at a certain brand new desk set up next to Jongdae’s. “Who does that punk even think he is,” Jeno grumbles venomously, eyes narrowing in irritation. “He just waltzed on in here like he owns the place. The fucking nerve!”

“Um,” Ten blinks, following Jeno’s line of sight to the unassuming young man nodding to Jongdae’s every word. “I, for one, actually like Mark. It’s not like he’s actually done anything to you, so don’t be so quick to decide you already dislike him.”

“I don’t dislike him,” Jeno huffs petulantly. “I _severely_ dislike him.”

Sighing, Ten facepalms and mutters, “Right, right.”

A week ago, Jongdae’s brand new intern arrived in the form of Mark Lee, a Korean-Canadian kid two years out of college. At first, Mark seemed tough and confident. Seungwan, who’d also lived in Canada, had briefly conversed with him in English and later reported to Ten and Yuta that the way he talked gave the impression that he thought he was tough shit. An over usage of slang, she’d tsked while shaking her head. Apparently he kept exclaiming “Okay!” and “Let’s get it!” over and over, much to Seungwan’s chagrin.

“Nice kid overall, though,” she’d shrugged. “A bit strange, but he’ll fit right in.”

It only took two days for any disillusions about Mark to shatter. He did indeed shout “Okay!” way too much, but he was as pure as it got. A good Korean Christian boy with a strong love for rappers (an oxymoron perhaps, but that’s beyond the point), Mark spent more time giggling at the dumbest things than actually seeming tough. He seemed to really like Johnny and Seungwan in particular due to their English fluency, but Ten’s exchanged a few words with the kid and likes him enough. For the most part, everyone else in the team has already grown used to the presence of yet another newcomer, and Mark is well-liked among the masses.

_For the most part_ , that is. Because there is one very, very, _very_ big exception to that statement.

Lee Jeno.

Sunyoung reaches over and aggressively ruffles Jeno’s hair. “Stop being jealous of the new kid and pay attention to your mentor,” she chides.

“I’m not jealous!” Jeno insists, crossing his arms sulkily. “I just don’t like him.”

Yuta smirks. “Oh, really? That wouldn’t have anything to do with Jaemin liking him, would it?”

Jeno startles. “J-Jaemin? What does this have to do with Jaemin?” He stutters, eyes wide in panic as he fails at keeping his cool.

“Exactly,” Doyoung chimes in with an identical smirk to Yuta’s. “Exactly _what_ does your hatred of Mark Lee have to do with Jaemin? Please tell us, darling Jeno.”

“Nothing,” Jeno mumbles miserably.

Although the sales desks are quite close to the accounting desks, Jongdae’s space is even closer to Seungwan and Jaemin's. As a result, when a new desk was added for Mark, he ended up directly back-to-back with Jaemin. Being the friendly person he is, Jaemin instantly took Mark under his wing and showed him around the office from a fellow intern’s perspective. They hit it off right away, with Mark’s open nature striking a quickly developing friendship between the boys.

Jeno, who still blushes every time he sees Jaemin even though they’ve known each other for months now, takes Mark and Jaemin’s friendship as a personal offense. He absolutely refuses to speak to Mark and doesn’t use honorifics when referring to him despite Mark being a year older. Quite frankly, Jeno’s been as salty as it gets ever since Mark—or, _the infiltrator,_  as Jeno refers to him—set foot in the office.

Currently, Mark and Jaemin are both at the printer to pick up things their mentors need. They’re laughing over something and Jaemin even casually slaps Mark on the back, which causes Jeno’s eyes to bug out in shock.

“What’s so special about him, huh?” Jeno hisses under his breath. “Why does everyone already love him? I don’t get it.”

“Well,” Ten sighs, trying his best to hide his laughter. He holds out a hand and starts counting down on his fingers. “One, he’s a good Christian boy who goes to church every Sunday, whereas you’ve probably never touched a Bible in your life.”

“The Bible’s overrated,” Jeno grumbles.

“Two,” Yuta interjects. “He has a really good taste in music.”

“Rap is overrated,” Jeno sniffs.

Doyoung leaps at the opportunity by declaring, “Three, he’s goddamn adorable. Just look at that baby face!”

“His stupid eyebrows look like seagulls and adorable is overrated,” Jeno grouses.

“Four, he’s very hardworking. Jongdae tells me he graduated from one of the top schools in Canada,” Sunyoung supplies helpfully.

“School is overrated,” Jeno protests.

“And five,” Ten pointedly raises a brow at his sulky intern. “He’s a very, very, very nice boy who hasn’t personally offended anyone here, so quit being a jealous whiner and pay attention to your work.”

Jeno pouts, slouching down even more in his chair. “I still don’t like him,” he mumbles defiantly.

Ten resists the urge to roll his eyes. Jesus, has Jeno always been this dramatic? Back when Ten first interviewed him he seemed so innocent with his wide eyes and youthful energy, and once he met Jaemin he got even cuter. Who knew that all it took was a certain Canadian boy to flip the tables.

“Ignore him,” Sunyoung suggests with an amused shake of her head. “He’s young and in love, of course he’s going to be like this. He’s a fool, but what else can we expect?”

“I’m not a fool,” Jeno whines to no avail.

Ten lightly flicks him on the back of his head. “Think of it this way, kid: You think Jaemin would ever like someone who gets jealous so easily? You think he’s into people that petty?”

Jeno pauses to consider that for a moment. His face falls, and with an anguished groan, he collapses face-first down on his desk. “But it’s so hard not to be jealous when Nana’s so cute and people probably fall in love with him all the time!”

“Well, that’s just life,” Ten declares solemnly, patting Jeno on the back in reassurance. “Anyway, why don’t we get back to work? I’m sure Jaemin would like you a lot more if you showed him how hardworking you are instead of moping around and glaring in his direction.”

With one last beleaguered sigh, Jeno shakes off his pout and picks up his pencil, nodding every now and then and taking notes to Ten’s instructions.

It’s funny, Ten thinks later while he’s alone in the break room. Here he is, giving advice to his lovesick intern about not being jealous, yet he himself can’t help but feel awkward around Seungwan because she _might_ have a budding romance with Johnny Seo. Rather hypocritical of him, really. And while Ten may be many things, he doesn’t want to be a liar—not to himself or anyone else.

“Hey, what’s got you thinking so deeply?” 

Blinking in surprise, Ten looks up to find none other than his manager peering down at him in concern. Baekhyun is, as per usual, a few steps behind Chanyeol, and also watching Ten with questioning eyes.

Now this is a situation Ten hasn’t found himself in a lot. Chanyeol mostly stays in his own office and only comes out to make hot drinks or hold meetings. Sometimes he’ll leave his door open, but for the most part he doesn’t interact too much with the team. Most of the instructions come from Jongdae while Chanyeol himself is far too busy with, well, managing the entire Seoul branch.

Still, though. Chanyeol is an incredibly kind man and boss, so although Ten’s only spoken to him one on one a handful of times, he always appreciates talking to the superior.

“Crushes,” Ten admits, chewing on his nail in thought—a habit he’d once scolded Taeyong for but has since then picked up. 

Chanyeol raises a brow, while Baekhyun’s eyes widen in panic. “Crushes, huh? There someone you like, Ten?” Chanyeol questions with a cheeky grin, striding towards the counter and turning on the coffee machine.

Ten grits his teeth. “Not reeeeeeeeeally,” he replies, dragging out the word for as long as he can to stall for time. It’s not exactly a lie when he doesn’t know the answer, after all. “But Jeno’s been throwing a fit ever since Mark got here because he’s jealous that Mark is already so close to Jaemin, and it’s just gotten me thinking. I mean, if you really like someone then shouldn’t you be happy to see them like someone even if it’s not you? Like, is it justified to feel jealous?”

Baekhyun starts fidgeting uncomfortably, sneaking nervous glances to Chanyeol’s figure every few seconds. The manager hums thoughtfully, pondering deeply as he pours himself a cup of coffee. “Both, I guess? I mean, if you really did like them then you would care about their happiness, but we’re only human. Feeling jealous may not be the healthiest option, but sometimes it’s inevitable. So I’d say that as long as Jeno can find a balance between the two, he should be able to figure things out,” Chanyeol muses.

An unreadable emotion flickers across his face as he laughs shortly and adds, “Maybe I’m not the best person to ask, though. I’m a divorced man, after all.”

Beside him, Baekhyun coughs.

Ten mulls over Chanyeol’s words. He’s not wrong—happiness should be the first reaction, but jealousy is hard to avoid. Hell, all feelings in general are complicated and don’t make any sense. But, well, that’s just life.

Seungwan is, without a doubt, his closest friend after Taeyong. If she wants to pursue a romantic relationship with Johnny Seo, then who is Ten—a fool who once fell in love with a man he barely spoke to?—to stop that from happening? She means more to him than Johnny ever has or will, so it’s her feelings that he’ll take into consideration more.

“For a divorced man, you give pretty good advice,” Ten declares, smiling gratefully up at his boss. “Thanks, hyung.”

Chanyeol returns his smile. “Always glad to be of help. And hey, I heard from Jongdae that there’s a bet on the Jeno and Jaemin? I have a meeting now, but tell Seungwan to put my name down for Christmas.”

“Will do,” Ten nods.

As Chanyeol leaves, Ten remains deep in thought, mind swirling with images of Seungwan and Johnny and Jeno and Jaemin. He’s so focused that he doesn’t notice Baekhyun’s still there until the secretary lightly taps him on the shoulder.

“Um,” Baekhyun shifts his weight uneasily. Even though he automatically becomes a little shier around Chanyeol, Baekhyun’s always been bright and full of life. Now, though, he looks timid. “Um, do you think it’s okay to feel jealous? Like it’s normal and everything, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s okay. You get what I mean?”

Ten pauses to think that over for a second. Unsurprisingly, he comes up with nothing. “I don’t know,” he admits, feeling bad when he sees Baekhyun hunch his shoulders in discomfort. “I mean, I guess just don’t be _too_ jealous? Just a little should be fine? It’s not like we can help it, anyway.”

Baekhyun’s smile is wry and mirthless. “Even when he’s divorced but you still feel afraid of his ex? Like every time you look at him you think of all the ways you lack in comparison to Kyungsoo? Like you know you’ll never be enough but you can’t help how you feel anyway? ”

“Oh,” Ten replies lamely. Of all conversations he thought he’d be having, this most certainly isn’t one of them. “Um, I really don’t know how to respond to that. I’m sorry, Baekhyun-hyung.”

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun averts his gaze. “It’s not a big deal. Just a crush. Nothing more.”

Not knowing what else to do, Ten just goes along with Baekhyun’s facade. “Right. Just a crush,” he echoes.

 

_Seoul Branch Dimwitted Stupid Idiotic Brainless Dumb as Hell Nincompoops_

_Kim Jongdae: Just a reminder that the monthly team dinner and karaoke night will be happening tomorrow! And it’s gonna be extra special because it’ll also double as a formal welcoming party for Mark! RSVP yea or nay._

_Park Chanyeol: Bro why is that still our group name I thought I told you to change it._

_Kim Jongdae: RSVP YEA OR NAY_

_Park Chanyeol: Dae wtf_

_Park Chanyeol: Whatever and YEA_

_Park Sooyoung: Sorry, but nay. Wedding planning is hard._

_Son Seungwan: yea yea yea_

_Ten: yea yea yea yea_

_Son Seungwan: @Ten why do you always feel the need to one-up me._

_Nakamoto Yuta: yea yea yea yea yea_

_Ten: @Nakamoto Yuta now that’s just overkill_

_Na Jaemin: Yea!_

_Dong Sicheng: Nay :’( I’ve already made plans with my friend._

_Nakamoto Yuta: What friend who are they do I know them_

_Ten: Dude stop embarrassing yourself. I'm getting secondhand embarrassment now._

_Kim Doyoung: Yea, duh. Any chance to flex my vocals will be taken._

_Moon Taeil: Yea, but only to challenge @Kim Doyoung’s flexing._

_Park Sunyoung: Yea, to challenge both @Kim Doyoung and @Moon Taeil._

_Byun Baekhyun: Aww, I really wish I could make it :’( But I kinda wanted to catch up on my drama tomorrow_

_Park Chanyeol: Come on, Baek! It’ll be fun :D_

_Byun Baekhyun: The drama can wait_

_Byun Baekhyun: YEA!!!_

_Kim Jongdae: Wow what a quick change of heart_

_Kim Jongdae: Anyway, so so far everyone except Sooyoung and Sicheng can make it. That just leaves Mark, Jeno, and Johnny._

_Mark Lee: Yea!!_

_Lee Jeno: I don’t know…_

_Ten: Kid, you need to loosen up a bit. Don’t tell me I gave you that pep talk for nothing today._

_Lee Jeno: Hmm…._

_Na Jaemin: If you don’t go I’ll be super sad :’(_

_Lee Jeno: …fine_

_Na Jaemin: It’s not official unless you say yea!_

_Lee Jeno: yea…_

_Ten: Is it just me or does someone sound emo?_

_Kim Jongdae: ALRIGHT SO THAT’S TWELVE OF US_

_Kim Jongdae: @Johnny Seo are you coming?_

_Johnny Seo: Sorry, I just got out of a meeting. But I’m not sure yet, so I’ll get back to you later._

_Kim Jongdae: I see I see. Well let me know sometime tonight so I can book an adequately sized karaoke room._

_Johnny Seo: Don’t worry, I will._

_Johnny Seo: By the way, why are we discussing this over text? Aren’t you all in the same office right now? And supposed to be working???_

_Park Chanyeol: Uhhhhhhhh…_

_Park Chanyeol: Please don’t tell CEO Kim._

 

_“So,” Ten rests his elbows on the table and leans forward. “Can I ask you a question? And before you make some sassy comment about me already asking a question, you know what I mean.”_

_Johnny doesn’t even look up from his book. “Depends on the question,” he replies smoothly as he flips a page._

_It’s rather infuriating how Johnny’s so blasé about everything, especially when Ten knows that it’s all just an act. He’s spent the last three years secretly pining after the man, of course he can tell that there’s more to him than just some perfectly calm, unaffected fuckboy._

_Ten reaches over and, like a brat, snatches the book out of Johnny’s hands._ Catcher in the Rye, _huh, Ten can’t help but think. How cliché._

_“Why do you always leave?” He asks softly._

_Without the book to distract himself with, Johnny is forced to look Ten in the eye. There’s something challenging in his stare—something telling Ten to take back his words and pretend this never happened, but also something dying to be honest._

_They’re stuck in this stalemate for God knows how long, but at last Johnny clears his throat and clasps his hands together. “And where’d you hear that from?”_

_Ten shrugs. “People talk, you know. Usually I take rumors with a grain of salt, but this one seems to be true. You don’t seem to like staying in one place for long time, I’ve noticed.”_

_“Oh really?” Johnny replies dryly. “I didn’t realize you knew so much about me.”_

_“Well,” Ten shrugs again, trying to keep his voice even. “It’s hard to not notice you.”_

_Too late, he realizes the implications of what he’d just said. Ten ducks his head in embarrassment, praying that Johnny can’t see the redness dusting his cheeks._

_Johnny lets out a long sigh. “I guess,” he says quietly, almost timidly. “I guess I’ve just never found a place I’ve wanted to stay at.”_

_“So you choose to leave?” Ten blurts out._

_“Yeah,” Johnny responds shortly. He extends an arm and snags his book back, lowering his gaze back to the page. “Something like that.”_

 

Yuta slaps Ten excitedly on the back. “C’mon, let’s go already! It’s your turn to treat us to ramyun.”

“What am I, made of money?” Ten grumbles under his breath, but he can’t hide his smile anyway. Quickly, he shoves his things into his bag and follows Yuta and Seungwan out to the elevator. “I’m forbidding you from ordering extra eggs though. Those things cost a shit ton.”

“Sucks, bitch,” Seungwan remarks cheerfully as she steps into the elevator.

Ten rolls his eyes and is about to send a snarky retort her way, but then he pats down his pocket and is met with nothing. “Oh, shit. I left my phone at my desk.”

“Want us to hold the door?” Yuta asks. “If you run it shouldn’t take too long.”

“Nah, you go down first,” Ten waves his hand nonchalantly. “I left some files I meant to take home, too. I’ll meet you at the lobby.”

It doesn’t take long for him to snag his phone and the important files from his desk, but at this point the office is absolutely deserted. Even Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who usually stay behind later than everyone else, left a bit ago with Baekhyun once again trailing after the taller man. Ten hums the latest pop song on the radio to himself as he waits for the elevator, absentmindedly playing on his phone to kill the time.

When the elevator finally arrives—sometimes it sucks that they’re on the top floor of a thirty story building—Ten breathes a sigh of relief when he sees it’s empty and steps inside, more than ready to have his weekly dinner with Seungwan and Yuta.

Just as the doors are about to close, however, a hand lurches out and forces them back open. Johnny Seo quickly rushes in, breathless and panting.

“Oh,” he blinks when he sees he’s not alone. He’s still gasping for breath, but his posture is stiff and rigid now. “Um, hi Ten.”

“Hi,” Ten forces out through gritted teeth, pointedly not making eye contact.

He goes back to his phone, busying himself by spamming Doyoung with disturbing clown gifs, and thinks that that’s probably that. That’s the most conversation they’ve had since the car ride, and Ten isn’t too keen on adding to it. Or, in more accurate terms, he just doesn’t know what he could possibly say.

But as usual, Johnny surprises him. “Seungwan-ssi mentioned that you’ve been out of it recently,” he suddenly speaks up.

Ten snaps his head over so fast he swears he sees stars. “Um, she said what?”

Johnny shrugs casually. “She thinks there’s something wrong but you don’t feel like you can tell her.”

“Well,” Ten grumbles, feeling irrationally angry that Seungwan’s been talking about him behind his back—and it’s not like it’s to Yuta or one of Ten’s friends, either. It’s to Johnny fucking Seo of all people. “I’ve had a lot on my plate recently, so I’m sorry if things haven’t been the same.”

“Ten, you realize she’s just worried about you, right?” Johnny interjects gently.

Who the hell does he think he is? Of course Ten knows that Seungwan is worried, but that doesn’t make him feel any less embarrassed right now. “Whatever,” he grouses.

It’s one thing to say he cares about Seungwan more than some stupid man, but it’s another to not feel just the slightest bit petty.

“You’re the only one who didn’t RSVP to the team dinner,” Ten blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. “Are you coming or not? Because booking those karaoke rooms can be fucking expensive and Jongdae-hyung always complains about it.”

Johnny hesitates. “I don’t know,” he says quietly. “Truthfully, I don’t think I really fit in here just yet.”

He’s right. Although Johnny’s been conversing more with each team member sans Ten, the only one he really seems to be friends with is Seungwan, and possibly Sooyoung too. He hasn’t reached the level of comfort in which he can casually insult or cuss at the other members, and Ten doesn’t know if Johnny ever will at the rate things are going.

“Hey,” Ten sighs reluctantly. “I think you should come.”

For a moment, he swears he sees Johnny’s eyes light up, only to dim again a millisecond later. “No, I think it would be better for me not to,” Johnny shakes his head. “I don’t want to intrude any more than I already have.”

Ten smiles wryly. _Well tough luck motherfucker, because you’re already beyond the point of no return._ “Come,” he says. “I mean it.”

“I don’t—”

“You said you want the rest of your stay to be easy, right?” Ten interrupts coldly. “I don’t know about you, but being lonely and not interacting with us sounds like it’ll just make things harder.”

“So come. Maybe you’ll regret it, but at least you’ll have tried.”

The elevator finally reaches the ground floor. Ten briskly strides out without waiting for an answer, plastering on a smile when he nears his best friends.

“Hey,” he greets, looping his arms over Seungwan and Yuta’s shoulders. “Order as much as you want today.”

 

_Seoul Branch Dimwitted Stupid Idiotic Brainless Dumb as Hell Nincompoops_

_Johnny Seo: It’s a yea for me._

 

During his two years as a part of the team, Ten’s seen a lot of strange and highly questionable things. He’s witnessed Yuta’s frizzy hair phase, Sooyoung’s rainbow dress at the company’s Halloween party, and all the times Sunyoung and Jongdae walked into work bleary-eyed and exhausted because of their two restless kids. There’s one specific unused storage closet on the thirtieth floor that people tend to sneak off to to make out—seriously, the number of times Ten’s caught Chanyeol and Kyungsoo or Jongdae and Sunyoung sucking face there is way, _way_ too high. Whenever Christmas rolls around, Doyoung the little shit hangs mistletoe everywhere and catches plenty of unsuspecting pairs. Ten had to kiss Jongdae one time, and that’s an experience they’d both prefer to erase from their memories entirely. Just twenty minutes ago, Ten’s also seen Mark Lee effortlessly rap every word to some Eminem song—causing Jaemin to clap in awe while Jeno crossed his arms and scowled.

The point is, he thinks he’s seen it all. He thinks he’s grown so numb and accustomed to the dumb office shenanigans at this point, except he really hasn’t because he’s never witnessed drunk Moon Taeil angrily throwing his plastic microphone at the karaoke machine, swearing at the top of his lungs at the injustice it had just served him.

“90? THAT’S IT? THAT’S A FUCKING FAILURE! FUCKING DOYOUNG OF ALL GODDAMN PEOPLE GOT A 95 AND YOU DARE TO GIVE ME A 90? I’LL KILL YOU, MOTHERFUCKER!” Taeil screeches like a banshee, repeatedly banging his hand against the machine.

Jongdae rushes over to pacify the infuriated man. “Hey now, let’s not freak out too much, okay? I’m sure the machine made a mistake when it gave Doyoung a 95—it definitely made a mistake for your score, too! We all know you deserve a perfect score, Taeil, so who cares about some stupid machine?” He soothes, snaking his arms around Taeil’s waist and dragging him down to a seat.

“I guess,” Taeil sniffs tossing his microphone down to the ground with reckless abandon. “We all know I’m the best singer in this room anyway.”

“Excuse me?” Sunyoung demands.

“Excuse me?” Baekhyun cries.

“Excuse me?” Seungwan shouts.

“Excuse me?” Jongdae recoils.

“Aaaaaand here we go again,” Yuta chuckles, rolling his eyes in amusement. He flops down against Ten’s side and snuggles against his arm. “Sometimes I wonder why we still insist on going to karaoke when we know what always happens.”

Johnny, who’s seated on Yuta’s other side, raises a brow in interest. “What always happens?” He parrots back.

Ten, who hasn’t sung at all the entire evening but remained content nursing his various drinks, snorts. “Just wait for the chaos to unfold. It’s something else.”

“Um,” Johnny glances over to where the five squabbling singers crowd the karaoke machine. “Should I be concerned?”

“Lighten up, man,” Yuta slaps him on the thigh, much to Johnny’s obvious discomfort. “We may be dumb as hell, but we’re not stupid.”

Meanwhile, the vocals crew finally settle on a song—some old-timey ballad chock full of high notes—and, each equipped with their own microphone, sing like their life depends on it.

Just buzzed enough and feeling good, Ten laughs and leans his head against Yuta’s. “Somehow someone always brings up the topic of who’s the best singer, and then they argue and spend the rest of the night having a vocal battle. It’s great though because they’ve all still lost their voice by Monday, so I don’t have to hear Jongdae-hyung yell at me for a day.”

“I heard that, you little shit!” Jongdae bellows, then immediately switches back to his angelic tenor as his turn comes up.

“Wow,” Johnny whistles lowly. “You guys really are something.”

_You can say that again,_ Ten thinks wryly.

Jongdae wins the first round, but then Seungwan triumphs the next. She manages to retain her title, only to lose to Sunyoung immediately after. Then Jongdae wins again, then Baekhyun gets the crown before losing out to Taeil. Sunyoung, Seungwan, Sunyoung, Taeil, Jongdae…Ten starts to lose track as he continues sipping at his drink, mind growing progressively fuzzier.

Chanyeol, who’d sung the very first round and stopped after that, checks his watch and stands up. “Come on, Baek,” he calls, gently placing a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder right as a new round is about to start. “It’s time to go.”

Baekhyun pouts and dear lord, his eyes are actually welling up with tears right now. “But I’ve only won once,” he wails, lower lip trembling in sadness.

“You’ll win every time next month,” Chanyeol reassures with a smile. “But right now it’s late and you’re drunk, so I’m taking you home. Okay?”

“Okay!” Baekhyun cheers. He dumps his microphone in Yuta’s lap and skips after Chanyeol, clutching onto the manager’s arm the entire way.

Yuta sighs and picks up the microphone. “Wish me luck, guys. I’m about to get slaughtered,” he announces as he joins the singers.

Ten, however, barely pays him any mind. He’s far more interested in Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s retreating figures. Is it just his imagination, or has Baekhyun slipped his hand from Chanyeol’s elbow down to his hand? If so, Baekhyun’s one brave soul and funnily enough, Chanyeol doesn’t seem to mind too much.

_Even when he’s divorced but you still feel afraid of his ex? Like every time you look at him you think of all the ways you lack in comparison to Kyungsoo? Like you know you’ll never be enough but you can’t help how you feel anyway?_

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Ten wonders out loud.

Johnny perks up in interest. “What doesn’t make any sense?” He questions, scooting over into Yuta’s empty seat.

Ten shrugs. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol,” he states. “Nothing about them or their weird will-they-won’t-they relationship makes any sense.”

“It doesn’t seem like it makes sense to them, either,” Johnny points out.

“Yeah,” Ten mutters. “Nothing really makes sense these days. Especially not you.”

The chaos of the vocal battle fades to the background as Johnny and Ten just stare at each other, neither knowing what to say or daring to make a move. The best part about being just a little tipsy, Ten always says, is that he’s drunk enough to be bold and honest, but also sober enough to know his limits. Right now, he thinks he’s really struck a perfect balance.

“Chanyeol-hyung’s right; it’s late,” Johnny comments softly. “Do you want me to give you a ride?”

It’s tempting, considering Ten hates taking the bus and that’s the only public transportation available right now. But he still doesn’t quite know where he and Johnny Seo stand, so he shakes his head. “I think it would be better if that didn’t happen,” Ten explains emotionlessly.

Johnny, however, is persistent. “I’ll walk you to the bus stop, then?”

Ten shakes his head. “Just stop trying, Johnny,” he says wearily. “I told myself I’d give up on you six years ago, and look how well I’m doing with that.”

For the third time in his life, Ten leaves Johnny Seo behind.

 

Sunyoung inclines her head to the side. “Are you feeling okay, Ten?” She frets, motherly instincts kicking in.

“Peachy,” Ten mutters through gritted teeth.

“Seriously, man,” Yuta cuts in, prodding Ten with a pencil like he would a wounded animal. “What’s gotten into you recently? You’re all distracted and gloomy.”

“False,” Ten dismisses.

Even Jeno stops glaring at Mark long enough to peer up at his mentor in worry. “Hyung, is it because of me? I’m sorry if I made you mad the other day,” the intern rapidly bows in apology.

“Stop worrying so much,” Ten sighs. Great, now he feels guilty for making Jeno feel panicked. Reluctantly, he ruffles Jeno’s hair and says, “I’m fine, guys. It’s nothing to worry about.”

The others exchange worried glances, but thankfully they choose to keep their mouths shut.

A few hours later, Ten is walking back into the office after using the restroom when Seungwan just so happens to cross his path, glasses on and nose buried in some documents.

“Hey, noona?” Ten speaks up on a sudden impulse. “Can I talk to you for a second.”

She stills and looks up at him, expression troubled. “Is everything okay with you?”

That’s a very good question, and the short answer is no. The long answer? Well, that would take forever to explain, and Ten doesn’t have that kind of time. “I’m sorry for making you worried about me,” he says at last, managing to smile wide enough for it to be convincing. “Like I said before, I’ve got a lot going on and things haven’t been the same since Taeyong moved, but I promise that if there’s anything seriously wrong, you’d be the first person I go to. You’re really important to me, noona.”

“Oh?” Seungwan remarks, hiding her smile behind her documents. “Trust me, kid, I know that. Why else would I voluntarily stick by you all this time?”

Strangely, Ten’s smile doesn’t feel quite so forced anymore. Fuck crushes, he decides. His close friendships will always, _always_ mean more than a silly crush from the past, and like hell is he about to damage one of his most important relationships over something so trivial.

Fuck Johnny Seo, really. Ten told himself six years ago to stop trying, and clearly that didn’t work because otherwise he wouldn’t have felt so jealous. But today is a new day and Ten is a changed man, so he vows to always treasure his friendships no matter what.

“By the way,” he adds right as she starts to walk off. “I just want you to know that I know about your thing for Johnny, and that I support it. You two would be good together.”

Seungwan blinks very, very slowly. Unnervingly slowly. “What did you just say to me?” She demands quietly.

Ten gulps. She sounds lethal and dangerous, like she’s ready to kill. Is she that mad that he’s figured out her crush? “Um, that I think it’s cool and all that you have a thing for Johnny? I give you the stamp of approval?”

Narrowing her eyes, Seungwan continues to merely stare at him with a murderous glare. “Hey Yuta,” she calls when the other salesman walks past them on his way to the break room. 

“What’s up?” Yuta greets, strangely eyeing the duo locked in a stalemate. “Uh, what’s going on?”

“How long until Johnny gets out of his meeting?” Seungwan calmly asks.

Yuta checks his watch. “At two, I think? So like, in fifteen minutes.”

“Perfect,” Seungwan clicks her tongue. “And which floor is he on right now?”

“Um…the twenty-fifth?”

“Perfect,” she repeats.

Smoothly she kicks off her heels and catches them in midair, then promptly deposits them in Yuta’s arms. “Give me a heads up in ten minutes,” Seungwan instructs, voice still dangerously even.

Yuta’s eyes flicker in confusion. Ten can’t blame him, because he’s just as puzzled himself. He watches as Seungwan tranquilly ties her hair back in a ponytail and strips off her blazer, which she also dumps unceremoniously into Yuta’s grasp. 

“Noona?” Ten inquires timidly as she rolls up the sleeves of her blouse. “What are you doing?”

Seungwan scowls at him. “I am going to give you a five second head start,” she explains darkly, busy with removing her earrings. “So you’d better make the most of it.”

“Head start?” Yuta echoes. “Head start for what? Why does he need to run?”

“Because I’m going to fuck him up,” she growls.

Ten laughs at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, but he falters mid-laugh when Seungwan’s dead serious expression doesn’t change. “Oh…” he trails off. “You actually meant it.”

“Sure as hell do,” Seungwan mutters darkly. “And you’ve just wasted your head start.”

Fight or flight instincts finally kicking in, Ten books it as fast as he can.

“You little shit!” Seungwan screeches, already hot on his heels.

“What have I done now?” Ten wails despairingly, hopping down two steps at a time to the twenty-ninth floor.

Seungwan, however, seems to prefer shouting insults at him rather than giving him an actual constructive answer. “You motherfucker! I can’t believe you! Oh my god, you actual son of a bitch—”

Enraged, Ten whips his head around as he runs and retaliates with, “Don’t you dare insult my mother!”

“I’ll insult her all I want because she raised a piece of shit like you!”

On the twenty-sixth floor, Taeil had just finished visiting a friend. Safe to say he did not expect to find a short man running for his life as an even shorter woman chases after him.

“Taeil-hyung, save me!” Ten screams, lunging to use Taeil as a shield.

Ever so easily, Taeil sidesteps him and continues on his merry way. “Salespeople,” he snorts to himself, shaking his head disapprovingly. “They never grow up, do they?”

Panicked, Ten bolts down to the stairs to the twenty-fifth floor. He stops for a moment to catch his breath, but then he catches sight of Seungwan charging down the steps so he prepares himself to run again.

“Wait!” Seungwan yelps, halting him in place. Suddenly the picture of composure, Seungwan smooths down her ruffled hair and says, “We can’t run on this floor or else Johnny will catch us.”

“Oh,” Ten pauses to consider that. On one hand he could run anyway and further the distance between them, but on the other he really doesn’t want to risk being seen by Johnny and having to sit through an HR intervention demanding why the hell he’s running through the hallways and not working (something he himself is wondering, admittedly). “You’re right,” he decides.

Seungwan scoffs. “Since when have I been wrong?”

Like the very mature adults they are, they do not run across the floor. No, they _briskly speedwalk_. Once they’ve crossed the length of the hallway, however, Seungwan’s expression twists back into a glower as she snarls, “Watch your back, fucker.”

That’s more than enough motivation for Ten to dash away.

At some point he doesn’t even know how or why he’s still running. His lungs are burning and his legs are cramping up from running up so many stairs—wait, running _up?_ Since when did he transition from fleeing downwards to back up? Huh. Funny how that happens.

Seungwan hasn’t stopped shouting insults at him, but at this point he’s more or less numb to them as all he focuses on is forcing his legs to move faster before Satan herself can catch up to him. Speaking of which, why exactly is she so mad? All he did was tell her that he thinks she should go for her obvious crush on Johnny—what’s so bad about that? Here Ten is, trying to be a good friend, and this is how he’s treated? Hell no, he’s not about to deal with this level of disrespect. Ten is a brave, strong, and confident adult; he can totally fight back.

But then he remembers that he is, in fact, a scrawny little twink and totally can’t defend himself from Seungwan’s rage, so he picks up the speed despite his body’s screams of suffering.

Once he gets back to the top floor office, he proceeds to run in circles in desperation, hoping one of his kind coworkers will take pity on him and save him from his desolate fate. “Jongdae-hyung!” Ten begs.

Jongdae doesn’t even look up from his work. “Get fucked,” he deadpans, earning him a scandalized, wide-eyed stare from Mark.

Knowing a lost cause when he sees one (he looks in the mirror every day, of course he knows), Ten hurtles towards Baekhyun. “Save me!”

The secretary tilts his head in bewilderment. “Sorry, but I think you’re beyond saving right now.”

“Sooyoung!”

“Some of us actually get work done,” she smiles sweetly.

Spotting Jeno, who’d just walked out of the break room, Ten makes a beeline for his beloved intern. “Protect me from your boyfriend’s evil overlord!” He pleads.

Jeno, however, decides to address the least important part of Ten’s sentence. “W-w-what? Jaemin’s not my b-boyfriend!” Jeno splutters, face beet red in embarrassment.

“You’re useless,” Ten declares, preparing himself to run to Sunyoung for help.

But then a hand snags the back of his collar and shoves him down to the carpet. Before Ten can process the stinging in his palms from attempting to break his fall, Seungwan’s got a knee pinned on his back as she slaps him repeatedly with a rolled up magazine. Where she even got a magazine, Ten’s really not sure. All he knows is that it hurts like hell to get hit with.

“Ow ow ow ow,” Ten yelps, thrashing around to no avail.

“You stupid motherfucking piece of shit!” Seungwan lambasts, whacking him extra hard to emphasize her point. “Why am I even friends with you? I should ditch you and just hang out with Yuta from now on—no, I should drop both of you idiots and get more female friends because then they wouldn’t be as stupid as you!”

From his desk only a few feet away, Yuta mutters, “Why am I getting dragged into this?” under his breath. 

Seungwan hits Ten especially hard across the back of his head. “You really think I’m that easy, huh? That I’m just gonna fall for any man I talk to? Well newsflash—you’re one of my best friends, yet you don’t see me wanting to jump you, do you? How dare you accuse me of liking someone I just met—the fucking audacity! ”

“Wait,” Ten stops struggling and cranes his head back to stare at her. “So you don’t like Johnny?”

The magazine collides with his forehead. “Sure I like him as a person, but the way you’re thinking? Hell no!” Seungwan scowls.

“Oh,” Ten pauses to think that over. Is it bad that he actually feels kind of...relieved? “Huh.”

Seungwan finally gets off him, but not before thwacking him one last time. “The insolence,” she sniffs, crossing her arms and glaring at him. “Next time you test me like that I’ll throw your ass out the window.”

“Duly noted,” Ten nods hastily.

“Um,” someone awkwardly clears their throat. Chanyeol stands behind them, a quizzical look in his eyes as he observes the chaos in the middle of the office. “Is there something I should be concerned about?”

“Don’t bother!” Jongdae calls, strolling over and propping an elbow on Chanyeol’s shoulder. It looks quite funny due to Jongdae’s clear height disadvantage and struggle to reach the much taller man, but Ten doesn’t dare laugh.

Jongdae eyes Seungwan and Ten with a judgmental stare. “Sometimes I feel like I have five kids, except three of them are ones I didn’t ask for,” he remarks.

“Ew,” Ten wrinkles his nose. “No offense to Jungwoo and Yerim, but I’d hate to be your kid. Sounds like a tough life.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Jongdae shoots back. Turning to Chanyeol, he adds with an exasperated sigh, “See, you gotta give them some tough love sometimes. Keep that in mind for the future.”

Chanyeol tosses his head back. “Trust me, I know. No more kids any time soon,” he declares, chuckling as if it’s the most ridiculous thought in the world.

“Wait,” Ten snaps his head up. “‘No more kids’? _No more_? As in, you already have some?”

All of a sudden, the office is dead silent. Baekhyun clasps a hand over his mouth and all eyes fall on the lanky manager.

“Oh,” Chanyeol gapes, eyes widening in horror at the realization of what he’s just done. “Oh, shit.”


	5. Taeyong is frustrating, Jeno is an idiot, and Johnny reveals something important

_Seoul Branch Dimwitted Stupid Idiotic Brainless Dumb as Hell Nincompoops_

_Johnny Seo: Hello, all. Apologies for the late notice, but I’d like to inform everyone that I will not be in the office for the next week. Manager Hwang from the Incheon branch has requested for my presence to help with some important hiring. I trust nothing will go terribly wrong in the week I am gone._

_Park Chanyeol: Gotcha. CEO Kim and Manager Hwang both already told me about this, so have a nice trip and come back safely._

_Johnny Seo: Thank you._

_Johnny Seo: Oh and by the way, @Ten and @Son Seungwan_

_Ten: Huh_

_Son Seungwan: What_

_Johnny Seo: I assume you don’t need an intervention? I did hear about yesterday’s incident, but for all of our sakes I think it’s better to leave that in the past._

_Son Seungwan: Oh fucking bless._

 

The first time Ten met Taeyong, they’d been wide-eyed, scrawny little college freshman who’d been randomly assigned to room together. He very distinctly remembers walking into the double to find an alarmingly pretty boy staring at him, hugging his skinny limbs to his chest out of shyness.

“Hey! My name’s Ten!” Ten had greeted, bold and outgoing as ever.

He’d stuck out a hand for the pretty boy to shake, but the guy only shrunk away nervously. “Taeyong,” he mumbled under his breath, peeking up at Ten through his fringe. “N-nice to meet you.”

The shyness only lasted for about another two days. All it took was for Ten to break out the booze, and then half a drink later Taeyong was a total goner. Not only was he a complete lightweight—relatable, since Ten himself was one too—but Taeyong was considerably louder when drunk. In one night, he spilled all his hopes and dreams out to Ten, some more fantastic than others. He loved dancing, sweets, his dog Ruby, and his sister was his biggest role model. One thing he certainly didn’t like, however, was when big upperclassmen eyed him like a piece of meat, and even worse was when they straight up licked their lips while staring at him.

“I hate it,” Taeyong had whined, tugging at his newly dyed white hair self-consciously. “People always tell me I’m too fragile looking, which means those dickheads think they can take advantage of me like it’s nothing. I get so scared whenever I walk past someone like that and now I don’t know how I’m going to survive this year.”

From that point on, Ten made a vow to himself to always protect his precious roommate. Taeyong was shy and built small, but even though his physique wasn’t the strongest he had an honest conscious and resolved personality. Ten was even shorter than Taeyong, but his frame was sturdier thanks to years of dance conditioning. He knew that whenever his new best friend needed him, he would always be there.

So for the next four years, Ten chased away the douchebags like flies, using any dubious methods he could think of to make them get the hint that Taeyong wasn’t into any of them. Anyone who wanted a piece of Taeyong would have to get through Ten first; no exceptions.

Well, at least it worked that way until senior year, when Jaehyun happened. Unlike most of the tall, unfairly handsome boys Ten and Taeyong encountered on the daily, Jaehyun was an outlier in the fact that he didn’t instantly show any interest whatsoever in Taeyong. Sure he was nice and friendly because Taeyong was his senior on the dance team, but Jaehyun’s demeanor never suggested any ulterior motives or devious intentions. Maybe that’s why Taeyong ended up falling for him—because for once, there was a boy who wasn’t nice to him only for his body, but as a person. Taeyong mooned after the guy for the rest of the year, slowly building a strong friendship with him until finally asking Jaehyun out at the end of the year. Jaehyun accepted with a soft, dimpled smile and the rest, as they say, was history.

From the moment Jaehyun said yes, however, things haven’t been the same. Ten no longer had to look out for Taeyong because no one dared approach him like that anymore after his relationship with Jaehyun became public. At first Ten kept a watchful eye on Jaehyun to make sure he wouldn’t end up being an asshole. As it so turned out, Jaehyun ended up being completely pleasant and an incredible boyfriend. But still, things have never been quite the same.

And now, with Taeyong in another city, Ten’s not sure what his purpose in the former’s life is anymore.

 

“Literally what the fuck,” Jongdae deadpans in lieu of a greeting.

Seungwan smiles brightly. “Hey!” She announces cheerily, stepping past Jongdae and entering the apartment. “Hope you don’t mind that I brought some backup today.”

“Um, not really,” Jongdae shrugs. Then he pauses and skeptically eyes the two idiots on his doorstep. “But why did you have to bring _t_ _hese two_ as backup?”

Ten frowns, theatrically clutching at his chest. “You hurt me, hyung,” he wails in despair. “How could you not trust me?”

“Or me!” Yuta chimes in, similarly holding his hand over his heart in dramatic fashion.

Jongdae’s eye twitches. “Literally what the fuck,” he repeats in a grumble. Reluctantly, he opens the door wider and steps aside, gesturing for the two to come in. “Don’t expect this to reflect on your paychecks,” Jongdae warns.

“No problem. Where are the little monsters?” Yuta asks cheerfully.

The next thing Ten knows, a small child zooms out of the kitchen and throws his arms around Ten’s legs. “Uncle Ten!” Jungwoo cheers, eyes shining in excitement. “And Uncle Yuta! You’re here!”

Laughing, Ten hoists Jungwoo up and spins him around. “You’re getting big now, kid,” he teases as he tosses Jungwoo into the air, much to the child’s delight. “You’ll be as tall as me soon if you keep it up!”

“Don’t insult my son by setting such a low bar,” Jongdae snorts derisively.

“You say that as if you're actually tall yourself,” Sunyoung, who’d just come out of the master bedroom, shoots back jokingly. Rather than the usual pencil skirt or two-piece suit Ten’s used to seeing her in at work, she’s got on a short black and white dress and denim jacket. “With our genes, you already know our kids will never be tall,” Sunyoung tsks with a sad shake of her head.

Jongdae mirrors her actions. “The sad truth,” he laments.

Seungwan emerges with round-cheeked Yerim in her arms. “You look hot, unnie. Date night?” She questions with a suggestive raise of her brow.

“Yup!” Sunyoung grins excitedly. “The first in god knows how long. I finally managed to pull him away from his work.”

“Hey! Why is this all on me?” Jongdae complains, a petulant pout on his catlike lips.

Sunyoung loops her arm through his. “Because it’s always your fault.”

“Fair enough,” he smiles down at her fondly. “Anyway, we should head out now. Call us if anything bad happens. And don’t let Ten near a ten foot radius of the kitchen.”

Ten rolls his eyes. “Don’t have too much fun!” He smirks devilishly. “Unless you want a third kiddo, of course. Then have all the fun you want.”

“I will throw your ass to the streets and leave you there to rot,” Jongdae glares.

Sunyoung slaps him on the shoulder. “Not in front of the kids!” She scolds, gesturing to Jungwoo and Yerim in Ten and Seungwan’s respective arms. 

“Yeah yeah.”

The married couple leave, lightly bickering on their way out.

Ten flops down on the living room couch with Jungwoo still in his arms. Yuta follows suit, while Seungwan plays with Yerim on the carpet. “Y’know, I feel like Jongdae-hyung gets more fed up with us every day. Remember how nice he used to be?” Yuta remarks out of the blue.

“True,” Ten nods in agreement. As Jungwoo pulls at the collar of his shirt, he muses, “He was so nice on my first day. A real angel. But now he keeps swearing at me and threatening my life. What have I ever done to him?”

“Slacked off? Been a major disappointment? Revealed your true colors as an annoying imbecile?” Seungwan suggests helpfully.

Ten blindly kicks out at her. “I hate you.”

Jungwoo’s eyes widen and his jaw drops. “Uncle! That’s not nice!” The four year old scolds, stabbing Ten in the chest with a stubby finger to emphasize his point. “Daddy says to always apologize when you’ve been mean to somebody, so apologize to Aunt Seungwan right now!”

“Kid, you should hear half the things your dad has said to me,” Ten mutters noncommittally under his breath before grudgingly eyeing Seungwan. “I’m so, so, sooooooo sorry, noona. What would it take for you to ever forgive me?” He exaggerates, clasping his hands over his chest and batting his eyes.

“For you to drop dead and choke,” Seungwan retorts. With a sweet smile, she says, “How was that, Jungwoo?”

Jungwoo, the little traitor, beams back and sticks both his thumbs up. “Perfect!”

“I can’t believe I’ve been betrayed by a four year old,” Ten grumbles.

“Oh, get used to it,” Seungwan rolls her eyes. “The only person these kids love more than me is Baekhyun, and that's because he’s the godfather.”

Yuta perks up in interest. “Speaking of Baekhyun…” he trails off, peering around anxiously as if to make sure Jongdae can’t hear them.

Ten grimaces. “I feel bad for him,” he admits. “Did you see his face after Chanyeol put his foot in his mouth? You think he knew?”

“Definitely not,” Seungwan shakes her head. She pauses to stop Yerim from chewing on her hair and explains, “He looked way too surprised to have already known. I thought they were pretty close, but there’s no way Baekhyun knew about the kid.”

“But the real question is,” Ten lowers his voice and whispers conspiratorially, “Who’s the mom?”

Seungwan and Yuta fall silent, with the only sounds in the room coming from Yerim’s giggles and Jungwoo’s whining from the lack of attention.

“How morally wrong would it be for us to make a bet on that?” Seungwan asks quietly, absentmindedly stroking Yerim’s hair.

Yuta gulps. “Very, very wrong. Jongdae-hyung would straight murder us if he found out.”

"Incredibly wrong," Ten echoes.

The three of them exchange looks.

“Surrogate mother!”

“Adoption!”

“He cheated!”

Ten and Seungwan glance at Yuta in horror at the last one. “How could you accuse him of that?” Ten demands angrily. “Chanyeol-hyung’s like, the nicest person ever and you saw how he was with Kyungsoo—you can’t just jump to conclusions like that!”

Yuta raises his arms in defense. “Sorry, sorry. Look, I don’t want it to be true either, but you can’t deny that it’s a very real possibility,” he points out.

“He’s right,” Seungwan taps her chin in thought. “Chanyeol only got divorced a year ago, so unless the kid is super young or not biologically his, then there’s a chance it all started when he and Kyungsoo were still together. Damn, what if the kid is the reason why the divorce happened in the first place?” Her eyes widen in horror at the thought.

Ten shifts uneasily, much to Jungwoo’s annoyance. “Sorry, Woo,” he coos quickly, making sure to snuggle the child close to his chest. Suddenly, he realizes that Jungwoo and Yerim witnessed the entire conversation, and it’s not like a four year old and a three year old have great filters. And if Jongdae finds out…well…

Gingerly, Ten pats Jungwoo on the head. “Um, Woo? Do you mind maybe uh, not telling your mom or dad about any of this?”

Jungwoo stares up at him with wide, curious eyes. “About what? Uncle Chanyeol and Jisungie?” He questions innocently.

_Jisungie?_

“Err, yeah—don’t tell your parents we were talking about them,” Ten nods hastily, making a mental note to remember this Jisungie—Jisung?—person. He shoots Yuta and Seungwan meaningful looks before saying, “We’re, um, planning a big surprise for them, so we don’t want anyone to know. Not even your dad, okay?”

“Okay!” Jungwoo beams happily, his smile so bright it’s practically blinding. “Now can you cook for me? I’m hungry.”

“Me too!” Yerim chirps.

A few hours later, Jongdae and Sunyoung return home to find their kids sound asleep in bed and the three troublemakers conked out as well in the living room. Jongdae’s about to let them stay since it’s already late, but then he takes one look at the messy kitchen and suspicious dark marks on the wall.

Safe to say the trio doesn’t end up spending the night.

 

_Lee Taeyong: Hi Tennie! <3 I’m really really really sorry, but something’s come up and I can’t come to Seoul this weekend :’( I know I promised and everything, but this really is a busy time at the school right now and I’ve tried getting out of it but my boss is forcing me to work extra planning hours -_- But the second I figure out the next good time, I’ll visit you and we can have so much fun!!! _

_Lee Taeyong: I really am sorry though :’( I was looking forward to seeing you again after so long and I hate that it’s so hard to find time_

_Lee Taeyong: I love you and miss you!!!_

_Lee Taeyong: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3_

_Seen 6:17 PM_

 

_“Fuck!”_

_Immediately, Ten jumps up from his spot on the couch and dashes over to the kitchen where he’s sure the crash and pained cry came from. Sure enough, Johnny is sprawled on the floor, clutching one hand to his chest and gripping his ankle with the other. A sickening feeling twists Ten’s stomach as he notices droplets of blood on the tiles and a knife with reddened edges laying just inches away from the man on the floor._

_“Oh my god,” Ten breathes, rushing over to pry Johnny’s hand away from his chest. There’s a long cut running diagonally across his palm that doesn’t look too deep, but the sight of blood makes Ten queasy._

_“Oh my fucking god, what just happened? Are you okay?” He babbles, hastily grabbing the nearest roll of paper towels and pressing down on Johnny’s injured hand._

_Johnny hisses and tries to pull away, but Ten’s grip is too strong. “It’s not that bad,” he tries to insist to no avail._

_“Then why are you also holding onto your ankle?” Ten demands._

_Johnny goes quiet, allowing Ten to fuss over his wounds without protest. “There’s a first aid kit in one of the cupboards,” he murmurs._

_Ten locates the kit with ease and goes back to tending over his companion. The cut really isn’t bad at all, so he simply disinfects it—Johnny doesn’t even react to the sting because he’s a cool motherfucker like that—and wraps a bandage around Johnny’s palm. “I don’t think you’ll need stitches, but I’m also a marketing major and not a doctor so don’t take my word for that,” Ten rambles._

_“Duly noted,” Johnny salutes with his bandaged hand._

_Only then does Ten notice how close they are to each other. He’s practically kneeling on Johnny’s lap, a fact he hadn’t realized earlier because he’d been so focused on treating the wound. Johnny doesn’t seem to particularly care as he simply hums while inspecting the wrapping job on his hand. His face is mere inches from Ten’s now, and it would be so easy to just…_

_Johnny looks up, and suddenly it all becomes a little too real._

_“What happened?” Ten blurts out as he scrambles off of Johnny. “I mean, how exactly did you manage to hurt both your hand and your ankle while cooking? That’s a first if I’ve ever seen one.”_

_Realization dawns on him. “Or,” Ten begins carefully. “Is that why you hurt your hand? Because of your ankle?”_

_He expects Johnny to play it cool and shrug—to say that it’s nothing and none of Ten’s concern, because why would he be so worried when they’re not even friends? When they’re not really anything but two college boys who escaped to a cabin in the mountains together the weekend before finals?_

_Ten braces himself for rejection, only to be stunned when Johnny says, “It never quite healed, but it’s been getting worse lately.”_

_“One second I was chopping vegetables, then it suddenly got worse. I forgot I was still holding the knife and cut down without looking and, well,” Johnny gestures with his injured hand. “Guess you can figure out the rest.”_

You’re a dumbass _, Ten is tempted to say. Instead, he gets up and makes his way over to the fridge. “I’ll make you an ice pack for the ankle, and then I’ll finish dinner. You just rest up.”_

_“I’m not_ that _injured,” Johnny calls, amusement laced in his tone._

_“Rest!” Ten barks._

_The food he manages to put together tastes terrible, but Johnny still makes a point to eat all of it._

 

After two years as a member of the Seoul Branch Private Team—AKA, the dumbest idiots around, as Jongdae likes to say—Ten can confirm with utmost certainty that not a day goes by without something bizarre happening. It’s as if the team members are physically incapable of not causing trouble, and that statement isn’t limited to just the three main troublemakers, either. Sooyoung and Taeil have well-hidden devious streaks, dynamic duo best friends Baekhyun and Jongdae can scream so loud and high that they’ve actually shattered glass before, and even Chanyeol himself is down for a good laugh every now and then. Here’s the thing, though—it’s mostly only the senior team members causing ruckus. The interns they’ve typically had have all been sweet and quiet, and so were Jeno and Jaemin at first. 

Then Mark Lee was thrown into the mix, and now the whole place has gone to hell.

Ten enters work on a rainy Wednesday morning to find Jeno sitting cross-legged on top of a desk. Normally Ten wouldn’t bat an eye at his darling intern’s strange antics—Jeno may be the world’s biggest sweetheart with a terrible sense of humor, but he’s also prone to weird outbursts at times—but today is different. Because Jeno is not seated on top of his own desk but Doyoung’s instead, and the aforementioned tech support assistant is now seated at Sunyoung’s desk. Sunyoung in turn is typing away at Yuta’s computer, and Yuta is sipping at his coffee in Ten’s seat. 

“Um,” Ten greets blankly, umbrella mid-shake in his hand. For a second he wonders how Johnny is allowing any of this to happen, but then he remembers that, for better or for worse, the temporary HR rep is out on a business trip the whole week.

“Morning!” Sunyoung waves as if it’s just any other day and she’s totally not at the wrong desk.

“Um,” Ten repeats, no less confused than before. “What’s going on?”

Yuta sets down his coffee cup. “Well when I came in ten minutes ago, I found Sunyoung-noona at my desk. I didn’t feel like arguing with her, so I thought I’d just take yours.”

“And when I came in twenty minutes ago, Doyoung was already hard at work at mine. So I took Yuta’s,” Sunyoung adds.

Doyoung pauses from the email he’s in the middle of writing and solemnly sighs. “Twenty-two minutes ago, I stumbled in after barely escaping the rain and found your little intern seated on top of my cubicle. But because I never wanted that damn desk in the first place, I figured I’d let him have it and just take noona’s instead.”

“Um,” Ten pauses, still as bamboozled as he was ten seconds ago. “So why’s Jeno sitting on top of your desk instead of, well, his own?”

“Because Doyoung-hyung’s desk has the best vantage point,” Jeno responds as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Um,” Ten peers up at his intern with a strange expression. “Vantage point for what? What are you looking at?”

Wordlessly, Jeno points a finger in the direction of the accounting cubicles. “Jaemin has a hickey,” he hisses venomously.

Sure enough, the unsuspecting accounting intern has a purple mark on his neck, just barely above the collar of his button-up.

Ten lets out the longest sigh he’s ever exhaled. So this is how his day is going to go. Alright then.

“Yeah, that’s a hickey,” he agrees, lightly flicking Jeno on the head to knock him back to his senses. “It’s what happens when you make out—or _more_ —with someone, and it especially happens a lot when you’re single and out having fun. Y’know, because you’re _single_ —as in, no attachments to anyone so therefore, you can go make out with anyone you want. As in, it doesn’t matter that some coworker has a crush on you considering he’s too much of a pussy to do anything about his feelings.”

Yuta, Sunyoung, and Doyoung all snort at the same time as Jeno shrinks back in on himself. “I’m not jealous,” he whines, the guilt in his voice betraying his actual feelings.

“Mmhmm, and I’m the sexiest woman alive,” Ten deadpans.

Chanyeol, who’d been in the midst of casually walking past the sales desks, chokes on his tea. “I’m not going to ask,” he mutters to himself, purposefully keeping his eyes forward as he marches on. “I will not ask. I refuse to ask.”

On a normal day Ten would be embarrassed from saying something so incriminating in front of his manager, but he’s feeling rather grumpy today due to the rain so he doesn’t particularly care. With one last strong flick to Jeno’s forehead, Ten drops down onto the only available chair—which just happens to be at Jeno’s desk—and turns on the computer. Jeno, meanwhile, goes back to watching Jaemin with laser beams for eyes, fixated on that one purple mark.

“Oh my god, what if he has a boyfriend,” Jeno moans, clutching his head in his hands. “What if it’s too late for me? Holy shit, how could I have fucked up this badly?”

“You know,” Yuta remarks as he finishes the rest of his coffee. “I just realized that we failed miserably at the bet. Both of our predictions were totally off and so was Seungwan’s. Now it’s up to Jongdae-hyung’s and Chanyeol-hyung’s guesses.”

Ten scoffs. “We only lost because we didn’t anticipate the arrival of a threat. Mark messed up all our calculations, so I say we should be able to guess again.”

“What if,” Jeno’s eyes widen in horror. “What if it’s Mark? Oh my god—oh my fucking god.”

“Technically he’s Mark- _hyung_ to you,” Doyoung points out dryly. “And I wouldn’t worry about that, kid. I’m pretty sure Mark is straight, or at least he’s not into Jaemin the way you think he is.”

Jeno shakes his head miserably. “I overheard him talking about this guy he hooked up with in school; he’s definitely not straight.”

“I’m not gonna ask where and when you heard that,” Ten decides. “But come on, kid. So what if he’s not straight? That doesn’t mean he likes Jaemin or that he was the one who gave Jaemin that hickey.”

At the mention of the mark on Jaemin’s neck, Jeno groans again and collapses on top of Doyoung’s desk. “Anything’s possible when it comes to Mark Lee,” Jeno laments. “He’s older, more talented, and even though he’s not better looking than me he’s funnier. How am I supposed to compete with all that?”

“Maybe by being yourself?” Yuta supplies optimistically.

“That’s the problem!” Jeno protests despairingly.

Ten resists the urge to roll his eyes, but that urge is strong indeed. “You know, there’s a very simple solution to all this,” he remarks.

Jeno shoots up in interest. “There is? What is it, hyung?” He pleads, eager to soak in all of his mentor's wisdom.

With a devious smirk, Ten stands up and cups his hands around his mouth. “Oi, Mark Lee from Canada!”

All the way across the room, Mark glances up in surprise and points to himself in confusion.

“Yes, you!” _Not like we have another Mark Lee from Canada in this room, duh._ “Come here for a sec!” Ten waves him over insistently.

Jeno’s already wide eyes enlarge even more as Mark gets up and makes his way over. “Hyung, what are you doing?” Jeno hisses in panic.

“Making your life a hell of a lot easier,” is all Ten says right as Mark stops in front of him.

“Um, you asked for me?” Mark asks awkwardly, eyes darting around to each member of the sales team (and Doyoung) watching him with curious stares.

Ten clears his throat loudly. “Were you the one who gave Jaemin that hickey?” He demands point blank.

Three jaws slack in unison, whereas Jeno falls to the floor in horror.

“The fu—” Mark begins, only to stop himself because he’s a good Christian boy. “Um,” he tilts his head and scratches at his ear awkwardly. “No? That definitely wasn’t me.”

“Mmm,” Ten nods, narrowing his eyes in thought. “Then do you have a crush on Jaemin?”

“ _Hyung_!” Jeno screeches to no avail from the floor.

Ten, as expected, ignores him.

Mark’s face is so red he could easily pass for whatever that leaf is on his country’s flag. “Uhhh, no?” He replies, the tone of his voice sounding more like a question than an answer. “I mean, I already have a boyfriend, soooooo…”

“Wait,” Jeno’s head pops up from behind the desk and interestingly enough, he doesn't sound or look like he's dying anymore. “So you don’t like Nana?”

Ten facepalms. Seriously, has his intern always been this stupid? He should really start considering taking the “beloved” and “darling” adjectives out of describing Jeno, because a more appropriate one would be “dumb as fuck.”

“Dude, I just said that I already have a boyfriend,” Mark points out, eyeing Jeno quizzically.

“Oh,” Jeno considers that for a moment. Suddenly, his face lights up and he’s back to his usual self as he smiles so widely his eyes curve into crescents. “Okay then! We're cool now!”

Yuta finally manages to unhinge his jaw and rapidly shakes his head. “That’s it?” He demands incredulously. “That’s the resolution to weeks of tension? Jeno, what the actual _fuck_ are you on?”

Jeno blinks innocently. “But I’m not on anything?”

“I should start counting down the days until retirement like Jongdae,” Sunyoung remarks languidly, sighing at the sheer amount of stupidity she’s just witnessed.

“Can I join that?” Doyoung asks as he bangs his head down on his—ahem, _Sunyoung’s_ —desk.

“Uhhhhhh,” Mark raises his hand uncomfortably. “Can I go back to work now?”

“Yes yes, go and learn all the tricks and make all the money,” Ten ushers him away. “You may not realize it, but you’ve just done us all a huge favor. Bless you, Mark Lee from Canada.”

Mark opens his mouth as if to say something, then pauses, thinks better of it, and clamps his jaw shut. With one final perplexed look at the sales workers, he shuffles back to Jongdae’s side.

Ten turns back to Jeno with a smug grin. “See, now that wasn’t so bad, was it? Now we know for sure that Mark is not interested in Jaemin, so can you start being nice to him?”

“Yup!” Jeno exclaims cheerfully, beaming up at his mentor. “You’re the best, Ten-hyung!”

“Wait,” Yuta holds his hand up with an apprehensive look on his face. “Aren’t we celebrating a little too early?”

“Huh? Why?” Jeno inquires curiously.

Yuta and Ten exchange knowing glances. “You see, kid, there’s something you’re still missing,” Yuta commences carefully.

The sweet yet dumb intern blinks up at them expectantly. With a poorly concealed laugh, Ten points out, “Jaemin still has a hickey.”

Jeno drops to the ground.

 

_Ten has created a new chat with Na Jaemin_

_Ten: Out of curiosity_

_Ten: Who gave you that hickey?_

_Na Jaemin: Huh?_

_Ten: Just answer the question, please. I’d like for Jeno to drag his ass back to work but he’s being uncooperative so drastic times call for drastic measures._

_Na Jaemin: What do I have to do with all this?_

_Ten: Kid, just answer the question or else I’ll storm over and bother you and Seungwan for the rest of the day._

_Na Jaemin: And then she’d just call Jongdae-hyung over and you’d get your ass kicked._

_Ten: …_

_Ten: Damn, you really got me good. I think you’ve been spending too much time with Seungwan._

_Na Jaemin: I mean I kind of have to because she’s my mentor_

_Na Jaemin: But anyway, to answer your question..._

_Ten: :O :O :O :O_

_Na Jaemin: It’s not actually a hickey. This is gonna sound super dumb, but I was hanging out at my friend Renjun’s house the other day and his little cousins were over. One of them had a Nerf gun and kept shooting me in the neck. By the time Renjun got the gun away from him I was already toast._

_Ten: And you got a bruise from that?!_

_Na Jaemin: Bruh, do you even know how much Nerf bullets hurt?_

_Ten: Don’t ‘Bruh’ me I’m so much older than you. But fair enough._

_Na Jaemin: Uhhhh_

_Na Jaemin: What did you just whisper to Jeno? Why did he suddenly jump up and cheer? What’s going on?_

_Ten: Oh, nothing._

_Na Jaemin: I’m gonna ask Seungwan-noona if you don’t tell me._

_Ten: Buddy, if you haven’t figured it out already then you’re just as dumb as Jeno._

_Na Jaemin: Ouch._

 

Scrolling through the texts on Ten’s phone with one hand, Sicheng furrows his brow as he elegantly scoops a spoonful of rice into his mouth with the other. “Why is everyone in this office such a dumbass?” He finally questions, handing the phone back to its owner.

“I’ve been wondering that for years now,” Ten laments.

Considering the location of the front desk and Sicheng’s constant receptionist duties, Ten doesn’t typically hang out with him all that much. Sicheng prefers to stay out of the regular shenanigans, citing his mental sanity as the main reason to keep his distance. Still though, he’s quite snarky himself and is always down for a good bout of troublemaking when he has the time. He’s not quite as fluent in Korean as fellow foreigners Ten and Yuta, but his skills are strong enough to handle the flurry of phone calls he receives every day.

Today is a rare day in which Ten and Sicheng have the same break schedule. Chanyeol’s policy on breaks is pretty loose, with the manager allowing any number of breaks for any duration of time so long as the daily requirements are met. But despite this flexibility, most of the workers choose not to slack off and only take breaks at scheduled times. Sicheng is one such employee—he usually eats lunch at his desk and only ever goes to the breakroom once Chanyeol or Baekhyun have physically wrestled him away from his seat, and that by itself is an impressive feat.

Hanging out with Sicheng is nice. The majority of Ten’s conversations with Seungwan and Yuta consist of banter, and while he loves them to death it’s also reassuring to spend time with someone who doesn’t always roast him. Sicheng is sassy—especially to Yuta—but underneath all his tsundere-ness he’s easily one of the most caring, kindhearted people in the office. 

“Hey,” Sicheng prods him in the arm. “I have a question.”

“Shoot,” Ten waves, busy popping a handful of pretzels into his mouth.

Sicheng’s gaze is dead serious. “Is everything okay with you?”

There it is again—yet another person asking Ten if he’s okay, and to be completely honest he’s rather sick of it. Yes, he’s fine. Absolutely positively fucking fine. Never mind how his college crush is now one of his coworkers and he hasn’t his best friend in almost six months now—he’s _fine_.

Before he can say any of that, though, Sicheng keeps talking. “Look, even though I try my best to ignore him, Yuta talks to me. A lot,” he pauses to shudder at the thought. “And sometimes I don’t have a phone call to distract myself with, so I end up having to listen to that fool. Usually he’s just saying random shit, but recently he’s been making more sense. He’s worried about you—apparently you haven’t been the same for months now even if you seem fine on the outside. Now normally I don’t like to pry into other peoples’ business, but I’d really appreciate it if Yuta could stop bothering me with things that actually make me feel concerned, too!”

Ten blinks long and slowly. “Wow,” he remarks in awe. “I think that’s the most tsundere thing you’ve ever said. It's a new record!”

Sicheng aims a kick at Ten’s shin. “Take this a little more seriously, won’t you?” He sighs loudly and cards a hand through his hair. “It’s about your friend, isn’t it? The one who moved away?”

Recoiling, Ten shrinks back against his seat. “How did you know?”

“Aha!” Sicheng exclaims. “So Yuta was right!”

“The fuck—since when did you listen to that bitch?”

Sicheng rolls his eyes. “Believe it or not, he’s actually pretty smart sometimes. Shocking, I know.”

“But anyway,” he continues as he takes another bite of his lunch. “Even though I’d say we’re friends, I don’t know you well enough to give you advice, listen to your problems—whatever friends do to help each other, you know. So if you want to spill your problems to me, go ahead and I’ll listen. But I doubt I’ll be of any real use, so I suggest you be honest with Yuta and Seungwan-noona and make your life easier.”

In a kinder tone, he adds, “You’re pretty good at helping Jeno and Jaemin out, but you’re also hopeless yourself, too. So take your own advice and just face your fears already.”

Ten can’t help but smile gratefully at the receptionist. “Thanks, Sichengie. I’ll try.”

“You’d better,” Sicheng grumbles.

“Oh, and by the way,” he suddenly adds. “Tell Yuta that if he keeps giving me rose bouquets, I’ll break his arm.”

“Um,” Ten tries his best not to laugh. “Well, you can’t really blame him for trying, can you?”

Sicheng scoffs. “Roses are way too cliché—tell him to start getting creative!”

 

“Hello, this is Lee Taeyong’s phone! I’m probably busy right now—oh my god Jaehyun, I can’t just say _that_ —so call back later or try calling my fiancé! Wow, fiancé—I still can’t believe I get to say that! But anyway, please try again later~!”

Facing his fears, as it turns out, is not all that easy.

 

_Seoul Branch Dimwitted Stupid Idiotic Brainless Dumb as Hell Nincompoops_

_Kim Jongdae: Alright so after that last disaster class, I’m looking for a new babysitter(s). Currently accepting all applications!_

_Son Seungwan: To be completely fair it was all Ten’s fault._

_Ten: To be completely fair you’re a snake._

_Nakamoto Yuta: To be completely fair I did nothing wrong and I’m the angel of this friend group._

_Ten: Choke._

_Son Seungwan: Die._

_Nakamoto Yuta: :’(((((_

_Park Sunyoung: In all seriousness, we really do need a sitter for this Saturday. I have no problems with letting the troublemakers take care of the kids again but I’m worried Jongdae will bust a vein._

_Kim Jongdae: Nice to know you’re always on my side._

_Kim Doyoung: I’d love to help, except I hate children._

_Kim Jongdae: You were never an option in the first place._

_Moon Taeil: Sadly I have a prior engagement with my Conspiracy Club. Perhaps next time._

_Ten: Conspiracy Club?_

_Moon Taeil: Indeed. Would you like to join?_

_Ten: Hell no._

_Kim Jongdae: Um, thanks for the offer Taeil._

_Dong Sicheng: I’m not that good with kids._

_Johnny Seo: Ditto, and I’m out of town anyway._

_Park Sooyoung: Wedding planning as usual, sorry._

_Na Jaemin: I can!_

_Kim Jongdae: Absolutely not. Fetuses are not allowed to babysit my children. @Lee Jeno and @Mark Lee are also ruled out._

_Mark Lee: Oh thank god._

_Lee Jeno: @Mark Lee Same, man._

_Ten: Wow look at that development—you kids actually get along now!_

_Kim Jongdae: I preferred it when they didn’t._

_Park Sunyoung: Maybe we shouldn’t be so picky._

_Byun Baekhyun: I could always skip choir practice if you need my help!_

_Kim Jongdae: Oh my god bless your soul. I knew you were my best friend for a reason._

_Byun Baekhyun: <3_

_Park Chanyeol: Um…._

_Park Chanyeol: Mind throwing another kid into the mix?_

_Kim Jongdae: As long as Baek doesn’t mind._

_Byun Baekhyun: Oh…well…um…_

_Park Chanyeol: Please? :’(_

_Byun Baekhyun: Okay, I guess…_

_Ten: @Park Chanyeol you’re a cruel, cruel man._

_Park Chanyeol: HUH?!_

_Son Seungwan: I second @Ten’s statement._

_Kim Jongdae: Okay meeting adjourned everyone back to work or else it’s two hours of overtime for everyone!_

_Kim Jongdae: @Byun Baekhyun talk to me later._

 

After days upon days of radio silence, Taeyong finally picks up the phone.

“H-hello?” He gasps out, sounding out of breath and tired like he’d just been running. “Tennie? What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

_About damn time you picked up, jackass_ , Ten thinks fondly. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just missed you a lot.”

“Ohhhh,” Taeyong breathes. “I miss you a lot too, Tennie. I’m sorry for not being able to make it last weekend.”

“No problem,” Ten insists, ignoring the bitter voice in his head reminding him of how he’d booked a nice restaurant and a trip to the aquarium in anticipation for his best friend’s long overdue visit. 

Taeyong yelps at something, but he quickly recovers before Ten can ask. “How’s um, everything with Johnny-ssi going?”

Unconsciously, Ten’s fingers tighten around his phone. How, indeed, is Johnny doing? Ten wouldn’t know, considering he hasn’t seen the man in over a week now. According to Chanyeol, Johnny’s weeklong business trip was extended to a week and a half—how convenient, considering he left the day after Seungwan beat Ten up with a magazine, also known as the first day back to work after their last conversation. Ten hasn’t seen the guy since karaoke night and he’s not particularly looking forward to Johnny’s return.

“Let’s just say I can’t wait until his year is up,” Ten responds gravely. “I could do without seeing his stupid face and being reminded of how dumb I was in college.”

Taeyong lets out a shaky laugh. “Having a crush on him didn’t make you dumb, Tennie. You already were anyway.”

“Wow, thanks,” Ten deadpans. “Really feeling the love, bestie.”

Suddenly, Taeyong yelps again and his breathing intensifies. Ten screws his brows together in confusion because, _the fuck?_ “Um, Yong? Are you in a rush or something?”

“Oh, no! Why do you ask?” Taeyong responds breezily—a little too breezily, if Ten’s being honest.

Ten’s still perplexed, but he waves it off as one of Taeyong’s weird moods. “Well, anyway. As I was saying,” he clears his throat dramatically. “I really wish he would just leave already, you know? This will sound stupid, but having him around just reminds me of how single I am. Like I swear the entire office has so much sexual tension—there’s already one married couple, Sooyoung's engaged, and like, three one-sided crushes that may not actually be so one-sided? I don’t know, things are weird. Johnny’s presence makes me think of how I never managed to make a move on him or even get to know him better, which makes me feel like I squandered all my college years? Does that make sense?”

“Ohhhh, mmhmm,” Taeyong hums, a slight hiccup marring his voice. “Totally makes sense.”

“Exactly! You get me, Yongie! He’s also like, dead set on pretending we don’t know each other, except he also somtimes acts like we were actually friends? What the actual fuck? Can’t he just make up his mind or something—”

He could go on for hours ranting about the enigma that is Johnny Seo, but then it happens: Taeyong _moans_.

Ten freezes as the pieces slowly assemble in his mind. The breathiness, the yelping, the overly casual nature to Taeyong’s voice. Add the moaning to all that and…

“Taeyong,” he articulates slowly. “Is Jaehyun there too?”

“W-w-what?” Taeyong splutters, only to betray himself with another obscene moan.

Steadily, Ten shuts his eyes and counts to five, even taking a few deep breaths for good measure. “I hope you enjoy getting fucked by your fiancé, but the next time I see you I will actually murder you, Lee Taeyong. Goodbye.”

“Wait, Tennie! I’m really sorry about this, but you called in the middle of it and I felt bad so—”

“I’ll talk to you another time, Yong,” Ten interrupts, promptly cutting off the call by hanging up.

If that exchange didn’t sum up the current status of his friendship with Taeyong, then he doesn’t know what does.

 

Just a few meters away from Sicheng’s desk, there’s a see-through door that leads to a small balcony. It’s hardly big enough for three people, so the team members hardly ever go out on it and prefer to have communal gatherings in the workspace or the breakroom. The only people who ever use the balcony are the ones who smoke, and no one in the team is a chronic smoker. Jongdae, Baekhyun, Sunyoung, Seungwan, and Taeil all claim that they would never dare damage their valuable voices by inhaling smoke, and Sooyoung is plain against smoking in general. Chanyeol occasionally smokes, claiming it to be a stress-reliever, but other than him or sometimes Yuta and Sicheng, no one else really does.

Ten is by no means a smoker. He absolutely hates the smell of smoke and the way the scent lingers everywhere for days, and because he used to be a dancer he still makes sure to maintain his body properly. So it comes as a surprise to everyone—including himself—when the second the clock hits noon, he storms towards the balcony and loudly slams the door behind him.

He sinks to a crouching position and, gulping, opens his phone to the message he’d purposefully avoided reading all morning.

_Lee Taeyong: Ten, I know I’ve been a really shitty friend recently and I’m sorry for that. I feel like I keep apologizing to you without ever actually doing anything to change things, and that’s all my fault. Please don’t be mad at Jaehyun—he suggested stopping when the phone rang, but I insisted he keep going because, well, I’m an idiot like that. Some best friend I am, huh? If you don’t want to talk to me for a while I understand, but just know that you’re one of the most important people in my life, Tennie <3_

Sighing, Ten locks his phone and buries it in his pocket. _One of the most important people,_ huh? That’s part of the problem.

“You okay?”

Ten’s prepared to raise his hackles and snap at whomever dares to speak to him when no, he very much _is not okay he’s squatting against the wall and hiding his face in his hands what the hell does this motherfucker think?_ Irritated, he lifts his head and the venomous words are already on the tip of his tongue, only to fade away when he sees who’s peering down at him.

Johnny’s finally back.

“You okay?” He repeats gently.

Remembering that he’s in fact not alright, Ten huffs petulantly and loops his arms around his knees. “The fuck does it look like?”

“Mmm,” Johnny says, unfazed by Ten’s snappy remark. Casually, he digs through his pocket and pulls out a box of cigarettes. “Want one?” He offers, holding a stick out.

“What makes you think I smoke?” Ten grumbles.

Johnny shrugs. “You looks like you need one right now,” he points out wryly.

Ten thinks about that for a minute. On one hand he doesn’t like smoking very much, but on the other he’s still pretty stressed and a smoke won’t kill him. _Damn you, Johnny Seo_ , he thinks bitterly as he snatches the cigarette from Johnny’s long fingers.

Johnny pulls a second out for himself and lights it, then passes the lighter over to Ten. It’s cliché, but Johnny looks undeniably _cool_ as he leans against the wall and inhales through the cigarette, blowing out a cloud of white smoke a few seconds later. His movements aren’t quite natural, but they’re definitely practiced and smooth. Probably not a chronic smoker, if Ten had to guess, but instead someone who occasionally busted out a cigarette in times of stress.

Ten, on the other hand, takes one breath and immediately regrets his entire life.

“Shit, man!” Johnny yelps, quickly stooping down to pat Ten on the back. “You didn’t have to accept, you know!”

Between coughs that sound more like wheezing hacks, Ten averts his eyes and barely manages to gasp out, “Don’t have much practice. Sue me.”

Johnny continues pounding him on the back to knock out any remaining smoke from Ten’s lungs. “Still, you shouldn’t have taken it if you don’t actually know what you’re doing,” he chides.

Annoyed, Ten opens his mouth to point out the irony in the fact that Johnny was the one who offered the cigarette in the first place and when Ten initially refused Johnny kept offering it. So really, Ten was peer-pressured into the situation and now everything sucks. End of story.

But then he remembers that even if Johnny’s been giving him plenty of headaches the past few months, he’s not the actual root cause of Ten’s problems. At least, not this specific one. 

“Shut up,” Ten mutters lamely in defeat, ears pink with embarrassment.

That should have been the cue for Johnny to finish his cigarette quickly and go back inside. But, as per usual, he surprises Ten once again by dropping down and taking a seat next to him.

“So what’s this really about?” Johnny asks, nonchalantly stubbing his cigarette out against the balcony. He’s sitting so close that their arms and legs are brushing, setting every single one of Ten’s nerves on edge. 

“Um,” Ten blinks, brain completely giving up on him. “What’s what really about?”

Sensing Ten’s discomfort, Johnny shifts over to give him some space and offers him a small smile. “You’re awfully quiet today, which isn’t like you. At first I thought maybe you were being productive for once—don’t give me that look when you know I’m right—but then I realized it’s more than just that. You haven’t even left your desk once to go talk to Seungwan, which is a first. So what’s on your mind?”

Perhaps he’s being just the slightest bit unfair, but Ten can’t help but snap, “And what makes you think I’d talk to you of all people?” in return. “Weren’t you the one who insisted that we don’t know each other?”

Johnny doesn’t even flinch, but his gaze does widen just the slightest. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he replies in an ashamed whisper.

Ten huffs. “Then why the fuck would you say it?”

“I…” Johnny begins, only to trail off sadly. “I don’t know.”

Six years of resentment is long enough for Ten to come up a million different things to say. He could let out all his anger and shout at Johnny, letting him know every single feeling Ten felt at being forgotten so easily. He could ask every intimate, jarring question to finally get the answers he’s been wanting for so long.

_Why did you ask me to go with you._

_Why do you not want to know me._

_Why do you always leave._

Out of the one million options, he chooses none of them and decides to tell the truth.

“I miss Taeyong,” Ten confesses quietly. “I miss him a lot, and I’m scared that he’s going to forget about me soon and then I won’t know who I am anymore.”

Johnny tilts his head curiously to the side. For a moment, a bitter voice in Ten’s head whispers, _What would he know about missing someone? All he does is leave anyway, so he probably doesn’t even care._

_But then again,_ a fairer voice argues. _Perhaps he knows all too well._

“I remember him,” Johnny comments neutrally, lighting up another cigarette as he speaks. “Lee Taeyong, the pretty boy dancing machine. Almost all the girls and boys on the dance teams had a crush on him at some point, but he didn’t pay attention to any of them.”

Ten can’t help but crack a small smile. “He ended up chasing after the one guy who didn’t immediately fall in love with him: the ever elusive Jung Jaehyun,” he remarks lightly. “It didn’t take too long before Yong had him wrapped around his little finger, too.”

“Oh, really?” Johnny muses as he exhales out more smoke. “Must have been after I graduated, right? Are they still together?”

“Yup. Living happily in Jeonju and planning their wedding,” Ten says with more bitterness than he’d initially meant.

“Jeonju, huh? That’s only a couple hours away,” Johnny points out with a raised brow. “You could easily go and see him, or he could come here if you wanted.”

Shrugging, Ten hugs his knees even closer to his chest. “We could, but we haven’t found the time.”

“Ah,” Johnny nods as the truth clicks into his head. “You mean _he_ hasn’t found the time?”

Ten refuses to say anything.

Johnny brings the cigarette back to his lips. The look on his face is pensive as he breathes in—an expression Ten’s not unfamiliar with. He’s seen it plenty of times these past few months whenever Johnny’s consumed with work, and he used to see it a lot back in dance team, too. For some reason, Taemin and then Sehun used to load all the paperwork and other administrative stuff on Johnny, the unofficial secretary before he himself became president. Johnny would constantly be arranging venues and planning workouts for the team, diligently chewing on his lower lip as he immersed himself in forms and phone calls.

After he’s breathed out, Johnny says, “You two were quite the dynamic duo. I still remember that rather _interesting_ duet you put on at the spring showcase. I thought the chancellor was gonna cut our funding for that one chin-tickling move.”

Ten flushes at the memory. That was all Taeyong’s idea, he swears (“I must prove my status as the ultimate bottom,” Taeyong had declared a little too loudly in the library, earning himself plenty of scandalized looks and a Jesus pamphlet from the librarian). “I take no responsibility for that performance,” he mumbles under his breath.

Johnny’s eyes glint in amusement. “I swear Taemin wanted to rip his hair out every time the two of you showed up late or spent too much time giggling to each other. But he went easy on you because he knew that he and Jongin were ten times worse when they were freshmen. Taemin warned Sehun to keep an eye out for the troublemakers, and then Sehun warned me when he passed on the torch. Funny how back then you were known as one part of a dynamic duo, and now you’re one third of a troublemaking trio.”

“Lucky me,” Ten deadpans.

“There was this one time,” Johnny continues, lost in thought. “Hansol had a crush on Taeyong for a bit. I think that was our junior year and your sophomore year. He was considering asking Taeyong out and everything, but then he chickened out at the last second. Sehun told him he should’ve just gone for it anyway because there was nothing to lose, but I told him not to because I had a bad feeling.”

Immediately, Ten stiffens and he shoots a murderous glare Johnny’s way. “What bad feeling? You think Taeyong’s capable of hurting anyone?” He demands angrily, ready to fight for his best friend’s honor. To hell with the fact that he's currently upset at Taeyong--no one except him is allowed to slander Lee Taeyong's name!

Realizing his mistake, Johnny quickly raises his hands up in defense. “Oh god no, nothing like that,” he clarifies hastily. “I meant it was a bad idea because even though Taeyong didn’t seem to return his feelings, he’d feel guilty for rejecting Hansol anyway and then he’d probably cry. And then the last thing we needed was for Taeyong’s short best friend to cut Hansol’s throat for making him upset.”

Oh. _Well_.

“I wouldn’t have cut his throat,” Ten complains, though he doesn’t bother refuting the rest of Johnny’s hypothesis and he’s grinning nonetheless.

“Sure you wouldn’t have,” Johnny agrees solemnly. “You couldn’t have reached his throat if you’d tried, so then you would’ve broken his knees instead.”

Ten opens his mouth, then promptly shuts it. Once again, Johnny isn’t exactly wrong. “Why’d you have to call me out like that,” he whines childishly.

Johnny just laughs. “Because I thought it would make you smile.”

Oh.

Awkwardly, Ten lowers his chin onto his knees and squeezes his legs harder. He doesn’t notice how his hands have clenched into fists until he feels the stinging against his palm, and even then the tension in the air is so thick he’s tempted to dig his nails deeper.

“Why are you like this?” Ten asks quietly.

Before Johnny can say, “Like what?” or some other variation, he goes on to say, “First you try to insist that we don’t know each other, and now we’re talking about college like we were actually friends back then. That’s a lot of mixed signals right there, and I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to talk to you anymore.”

It takes an eternity before Johnny speaks up again, and when he finally does he doesn’t even address the question. “You know why else Hansol didn’t end up asking Taeyong out?”

Ten narrows his eyes. “Stop avoiding me, you fucking coward,” he spits, the words coming out harsher than intended and surprising even himself.

“I’m getting there,” Johnny waves his hand holding the cigarette dismissively. He doesn’t seem the least bit fazed by Ten’s harsh remark—if anything, he seems to even agree with it, judging by the amused smile that briefly flashed across his lips when Ten said it.

“Anyway, as I was saying. The other big reason why Hansol didn’t make a move on Taeyong? It’s because he thought you liked him. Half the club thought so, actually.”

“What?” Ten squawks. “ _Me?_ Liking _Taeyong_?”

Don’t get him wrong, of course he loves Taeyong. They’ve been best friends since freshman year and they’ve stuck through thick and thin together no matter what. Even when Taeyong and Jaehyun’s relationship got more and more serious, Taeyong always set aside time for Ten and their friendship never suffered. Taeyong is his ride or die bitch, and that much will never change.

But with all those fluffy and flowery words out of the way, Ten has to say that he would never, _ever_ have romantic feelings for Taeyong. Not in a million fucking years. Most people are blinded by Taeyong’s beauty and shy demeanor, but Ten can confirm that beneath all that, Taeyong is a giant fucking nerd.

“Nope,” he shakes his head aggressively to clear any thoughts of liking Taeyong out of his head. “Hell no. Never. Uh uh. Absolutely not. Please never suggest that again or else I may have to kill you.”

Johnny hides his smile by bringing his cigarette back to his lips. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he chuckles. “Besides, I was never one of those people. I always had a feeling you two were best friends more than anything else.”

It’s happening again—Johnny’s talking to him all too casually, almost as if they know each other well. Ten takes a deep breath and, his palms screaming from how much pressure his nails are applying to them, murmurs, “There was someone else I liked.”

There it is: after nine years, Ten finally tells the truth—or at least half of it.

Calmly, Johnny breathes out and says, “I know.”

Oh.

_Oh._

_OH._

Oh _shit._

As Ten stares up at him completely baffled and slack-jawed, Johnny eyes him with his mouth thinned to a line. “Does that answer your question?” Johnny grimaces.

Ten can’t move, nor does he know what to say. Quite frankly, his mind has gone so blank he doesn’t think words can even come out no matter how hard he tries.

“Don’t worry about it,” Johnny sighs, shoving his second cigarette into the cement until the light snuffs out. “It was a long time ago and it’s not like I’m holding it against you or anything. I guess I just didn’t know how to react? Safe to say I was pretty surprised to find your name on the team list.”

His grimace deepens just the slightest, then he’s back to his typical neutral expression. “But yeah, it’s all in the past. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything since I’ve arrived, but now that we’ve cleared the air I’ll try not to anymore.”

Ten resists the urge to scream. He still hasn’t budged an inch and is a complete loss for words because all he can think right now is _Johnny knows. He_ knew _all this time. He knew. He knew. He fucking knew._

And the thing is, Ten’s not so sure if it’s all in the past like Johnny says.

Johnny leans his head against the wall and closes his eyes. Ten’s gaze only briefly darts to the curve of Johnny’s neck as the latter inhales deeply.

“I’m only here for nine more months,” Johnny ponders out loud. “Incheon is about as close to Seoul as you can get, but it’s not close enough. Once I’m out of here, I doubt I’ll be back any time soon.”

Ten finally finds his voice again. “As expected,” he comments sarcastically.  _Johnny Seo always leaves._

Johnny pays no heed to his biting remark. Instead, he turns to Ten and delicately rests a hand on his shoulder. “But until then, I’d like for us to at least be friends.”

“Why?” Ten demands defensively, shrugging Johnny’s hand off his shoulder. “Why now and not back then? Because I don’t have a crush on you anymore? So now you think it’s okay to talk to me since there’s no more ulterior motive or chance of me making a move? Is that why?”

Johnny shakes his head, a flicker of remorse crossing his face. “It’s not because of any of that,” he counters. “I wanted to know you better in college too, believe me. I wasn’t in a good place back then—I had too much baggage, and I still do now. But even though it’s selfish of me to ask you this when I’m only going to leave again soon, I’d like to be your friend this time around.”

The right answer? _No._ That door shut six years ago, and Ten’s too afraid of even attempting to open it. The smart choice would be to tell him no and let the next nine months pass, and then he’ll never see Johnny Seo again. Simple. It’s the _right_ choice.

Ten, however, isn’t exactly known for always making the right decisions. Because the  wrong answer? Exactly what he’s about to say.

“Okay,” he agrees, squeezing his eyes shut. “Let’s be friends.”

Thank god his eyes are closed, because he already knows Johnny’s smiling down at him gratefully and that’s not a sight he thinks he can handle.

Johnny pushes himself back up to his feet. “I’ll leave you be for now, but thank you for your kindness when you have every right to dislike me,” he dips his head respectfully.

_Trust me, I wish I did._ “No problem,” Ten squeaks out weakly. “Friends. Fun, fun.” _No, this will not be fun at all._

Right as Johnny opens the balcony door and sets one foot back inside, he stops and leans back. “For what it’s worth, Ten,” he calls out, causing Ten to startle and jerk his head towards him in surprise.

With a rueful grin, Johnny confesses, “I used to like you, too.”

The door closes behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor, poor Ten.


	6. Sicheng is not so tsundere after all, Ten makes progress, and Jongdae takes a drastic measure

_Ten to Nakamoto Yuta_

_Ten: Theoretically speaking, what would you do if someone you used to like has just confessed that they also liked you back then? Except that’s only making you feel more conflicted now because you’re not sure whether your feelings for them are still real or just leftover? You know what I mean? What would you do in that case?_

_Ten: Theoretically, that is._

_Nakamoto Yuta: What_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Are you implying what I think you’re implying._

_Ten: … I said theoretically, didn’t I?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Oh my god_

_Ten: THEORETICALLY_

_Nakamoto Yuta: WHO CONFESSED TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME_

_Ten: Hahahahahahahahaha_

_Ten: Gotta go, mom’s calling me_

_Nakamoto Yuta: What the fuck_

_Nakamoto Yuta: DON’T YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME YOU LITTLE BITCH_

_Nakamoto Yuta: I’LL GET THE ANSWER OUT OF YOU IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO_

 

“I don’t understand how you’re almost thirty and you still can’t drive,” Seungwan grumbles as she jerks the shift into park with far more force than necessary. “Like seriously—I know it’s not really necessary to have a car in cities like Seoul, but would it kill you to at least get your license?”

Ten merely sticks his tongue out. “Why would I need a license when I’ve got you as my personal chauffeur?” He teases. “And besides, I’m only twenty-seven. You’re closer to thirty than I am!”

Twenty-nine year old Seungwan swats at him menacingly. “Keep saying that and I’ll cut your throat.”

“Oooooh, how scary,” Ten mocks, blowing a kiss for good measure.

Seungwan rolls her eyes as she gets out of the car. “Seriously,” she mutters. “You don’t appreciate me enough, kid. One day I’ll die and then who’ll drive you places?”

“Can I have your apartment then? It’s so much nicer than mine.”

“You’ll get jack shit in my will.”

“Dammit.”

The bickering doesn’t stop as they walk across the company parking garage. Seungwan usually leaves Ten to die on the subway, but occasionally she has the good graces to give him a ride to work. Considering how she lives in the opposite direction, the times she drives him are few and far between but treasured nonetheless. Really, Ten doesn’t know what he’d do without his favorite big sister—except don’t tell Seungwan that, because she totally doesn’t need another ego booster.

“—pelt you with watermelons until you die!” Seungwan finishes threatening right as they enter the lobby. “And then nobody will go to your funeral besides me because you have no other friends. Is that really how you wanna go, huh?”

Ten shudders. “You’re so cruel, noona. Throwing fruit at me is already bad enough, but watermelons? That’s just— _oh shit_.”

“Huh?” Seungwan blinks as he grabs her arm and drags her down until they’re safely concealed behind a chair in the waiting area. “The fuck is going on? I swear I’ll actually beat you to death with watermelons if you don’t—”

“Will you be quiet, woman?” Ten hisses. “I’m trying to hide, duh!”

“Hide? Hide from whom?”

“From Yuta!” Ten exclaims, pointing a finger in the direction of the elevators.

The figure he’s pointing to is facing away from them, but Ten would recognize their friend from a mile away. Yuta’s got one hand in his pocket while he’s got his phone in the other, gazing down at the device with complete focus. Like the other men in the team, Yuta adopts a more business casual look by wearing just a white button up shirt. Because he’s a wannabe fuckboy (“It’s called being fashionable!”), he leaves the top few buttons free, allowing for a glimpse of his rather nice chest. The women of the building seem to enjoy that sight a lot, which just makes Ten chuckle because he doubts Yuta’s ever looked at a woman that way in his entire life.

Seungwan pokes Ten on the shoulder to get his attention back. “Um, so why are we hiding from Yuta? Has he done something to you? Do you need me to attack him as a diversion?”

Ten’s heart swells at her words. It’s reassuring to know that as much as Seungwan threatens his life on the daily, she’s also willing to commit bodily harm for him. True friendship, indeed. 

He almost takes her up on that offer to distract Yuta—Ten really, _really_ doesn’t want to talk about He Who Shall Not Be Named, AKA the person who confessed to him about six years too late—but as it just so happens to turn out, Seungwan doesn’t need to distract him because someone else already beat her to it.

Yuta lifts his head at the sound of his name, then breaks into the largest, most brilliant smile Ten’s ever seen. The smile is so blinding Ten literally has to blink a few times before he processes Sicheng jogging across the lobby, skidding to a stop in front of Yuta with an equally bright grin. And then, if that weren’t damning enough, Sicheng reaches out and _holds Yuta’s hand._

Seungwan’s jaw plummets. “What,” she begins in shock.

Dumbstruck, Ten mirrors her actions and says, “The…”

“Fuck,” they declare at the same time.

The unsuspecting couple—couple?!—speak quietly to each other, those darned smiles still on their—admittedly beautiful—faces. When the elevator finally arrives, they waltz in together and, right as the doors close, Ten swears he sees Yuta lean over and _kiss Sicheng’s cheek._

“What the fuck,” Ten and Seungwan repeat in unison, exchanging identical looks of horror.

Seungwan gapes. “Did we really just see what I think we just saw?”

“Yup,” Ten nods slowly. “Yup indeed.”

Sicheng, the biggest tsundere on the planet. Sicheng, the one who’s been ignoring Yuta for almost three years now. Sicheng, the only person who can fully block out all the strange antics from the team. _Sicheng,_ period.

“Damn,” Seungwan whistles lowly. “I never thought I’d live to see this day.”

“Live to see what?” A deep voice from behind them resounds through the air, effectively causing both Ten and Seungwan to jump in shock.

“Christ, Johnny!” Seungwan yelps, holding a hand to her chest to steady herself. “You can’t just sneak up on people like that! You almost gave us a heart attack—and don’t get me wrong, I’m totally okay with sacrificing Ten, but not me!”

Ten shoves her. “Nice to see how much I mean to you!”

Out of retaliation, Seungwan pushes him back even harder. Because Ten is scrawny and Seungwan is surprisingly strong for how slender she is, the next thing he knows he’s landed on his ass on the cold, hard lobby floor.

“Hey!”

Seungwan smirks as she scrambles to her feet and makes a dash for the nearest elevator. “See ya, Ten!” She calls cheerfully, just barely managing to squeeze in before the doors close.

“Favorite big sister, my ass,” Ten hisses under his breath.

He’d almost forgotten the man standing before him until Johnny lets out an amused laugh. “You two seem close,” he remarks with a teasing grin.

Reflexively, Ten stiffens and ducks his head. How the hell is he supposed to face Johnny after _that_ truth bomb the man had just dropped on him yesterday? 

“Uh, yeah, we are,” Ten mumbles awkwardly.

A large hand enters his line of sight. “We should head up now; don’t want to be late,” Johnny points out.

“Ah,” Ten replies blankly, staring at the hand like it had personally offended him. For a moment he considers slapping it away and marching off on his own—take _that,_ stupid Johnny Seo and his stupid confessions years too late—but he’d like to be a normal, level-headed person so he accepts it with a slight grimace. 

Eighteen year old college freshman Ten would’ve been swooning at the thought of tall, handsome Johnny Seo helping him up. He probably would’ve fantasized about it for months, staring at his hand with awe and refusing to wash it. Back then, this would’ve been a scene straight out of a fairytale.

Twenty-seven year old salesman Ten, on the other hand, is considerably less impressed. How bad would it be, he muses, if he were to use the momentum to his advantage and swing Johnny down to the ground in revenge, then run off cackling? Certainly a very appealing idea, but not one that should be enacted if he values his job security and dignity. Besides, he did say he’d try to be friends with Johnny from now on. Might as well do just that.

“Thanks,” he sighs as he lets go of Johnny’s hand, cheeks only the faintest bit pink. “If you didn’t already realize it, we’re kind of a mess.”

“Kind of?” Johnny raises a brow.

Ten manages to grin. “Definitely a mess,” he corrects.

“Sounds about right,” Johnny agrees.

He strolls off in the direction of the elevators, Ten trailing right behind him. Today, Johnny’s formal shirt is a nice dark blue, which definitely doesn’t make him look more attractive than usual. Blue, Ten can’t help but think, is a good color on him. Makes him look mature and less intimidating than with the crisp whiteness of the usual workplace shirts, as well as kinder. One time back in college, Taeyong remarked that Johnny was basically a gentle giant—seemingly scary due to his height and serious resting expression, but a big softie and jokester underneath it all. Ten can’t say he’s been exposed to too much of Johnny’s softer side, but he knows how much of a good person the older man actually is.

Which is why he can’t for the life of him comprehend whatever’s happened to make Johnny this cold and distant.

“So,” Johnny starts once they’ve stepped into the elevator and the doors have closed. They’re alone, which causes Ten to fidget in place. “Why were you and Seungwan hiding earlier?”

This, Ten realizes, is Johnny’s honest effort to make conversation. He’s a bit awkward, but in an annoyingly endearing way. Well if they’re gonna be friends, they’ll have to start from somewhere.

“Because we witnessed the impossible,” he responds with utmost seriousness.

Johnny quirks his brow. “Oh really? Care to share?”

Without thinking, Ten crooks a finger to signal Johnny to come closer. “You know how Yuta’s always hanging around Sicheng’s desk, trying to get his attention? Well, Seungwan-noona and I just saw—wait for it—them holding hands and Yuta kissing Sicheng’s cheek!”

“Huh?” Johnny tilts his head, a perplexed expression painted across his face. His brow furrows even more as he says, “But haven’t they been dating this whole time? I could’ve sworn I saw them driving somewhere together the other day.”

“What?” Ten cries in disbelief.

Okay, he’s sure Johnny’s wrong. Scratch that, he’s _definitely_ sure Johnny’s wrong. Sicheng barely even acknowledges Yuta in the office, how could they have been dating all this time? Besides, friends drive each other places all the time—just look at Ten and Seungwan! Maybe one day Sicheng had been in a generous mood and accepted Yuta’s offer for a ride home. Yeah, that’s gotta be it.

But then Johnny, because he’s Johnny, decides to drop yet another bomb on Ten (twice in two days!).

“Yeah, and on my first day I opened the wrong door and caught them kissing in that one closet,” Johnny remarks, rubbing his chin in thought. “And they literally hold hands all the time when they’re not in the office. Haven’t you noticed them walking together every day before and after work?”

By this point, Ten’s head is swimming so violently he nearly falls over. Had it not been for the ever reliable Johnny quickly catching him, Ten would’ve eaten shit right there and then.

“Holy…” he trails off, completely at a loss for words. “Holy…”

Johnny helps steady him. “Wait, you really didn’t know? I thought they were pretty obvious.” 

Suddenly, he claps his hands together as realization dawns across his face. “Oh wait, that’s right. When I caught them making out in the closet they asked me to keep it a secret. I didn’t really know anyone back then so I kind of forget they’d asked me. Ah, now it all makes sense.”

“Dude,” Ten holds a hand up. “Please shut up and give me some time to fully process this.”

He blinks once, twice, then thrice. Nope, still nothing. None of this makes any sense whatsoever.

The elevator lets out a _ding!_ when they reach the topmost floor. Johnny walks out as if nothing happened, but Ten quickly dashes forward and snatches the back of his collar. 

“I won’t say anything because I respect Yuta’s privacy,” Ten whispers urgently, practically pulling Johnny down in order to reach his ear. Damn his short genes. “But once work is over, we are going to go down to the company café and you’re gonna explain everything to me. Deal?”

Johnny seems surprised by Ten’s bold actions and the sudden close proximity, but he quickly relaxes and chuckles. “Deal,” he promises.

Satisfied, Ten lets go—and if Johnny stumbles a little bit, then that just makes him feel even more smug. 

It’s only once he’s sat down at his desk and turned on his computer does Ten realize he’s just asked Johnny Seo out on a date. 

“Fuck,” he swears out loud, then promptly slams his head against his desk.

Jeno peers over in concern. “You okay, hyung?”

“Ignore him,” Yuta, that lying little bitch, snorts. “Since when has he ever been okay?”

“Good point,” Jeno nods.

Maybe Ten should start looking for a new job. Or better yet, move back to Thailand.

 

_A hand shakes him awake._

_“Hey,” Johnny greets. “Sorry for waking you up so early, but you should really get up right now.”_

_Ten rapidly blinks to chase away the lingering sleep in his eyes. “Why? Is there something wrong?” He yawns, languidly stretching out his arms._

_“Yeah, the cops are here.”_

_“What?” Ten jumps up, now fully awake. “What the fuck, man? Holy shit, why are they here? Did you break the law? Holy shit holy shit holy—”_

_Johnny breaks into laughter, his head tossed back as he chortles gleefully. “Kidding, kidding. Thought that would wake you up,” he explains._

_Unimpressed, Ten glares at him with narrowed eyes. “Wow, thanks,” he drawls sarcastically. “Just give me a heart attack while you’re at it, why doncha?”_

_“Hey, I said I was sorry,” Johnny raises his hands defensively. He squints his eyes and adds, “Is that a shirt with Taeyong’s face on it?”_

_Immediately, Ten blushes and covers his chest. “It was a gag gift, okay!”_

_Johnny chuckles again. “Whatever you say, Ten. Just be ready in twenty, okay? We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”_

_Ten perks up in surprise. “Why? Are we going somewhere?”_

_“Just be ready, okay?” Johnny stares him in the eye. “Trust me.”_

 

“ _Psst_. Soo.”

Sooyoung doesn’t even bat an eye at the short salesman conspicuously trying to hide between her chair and the wall. 

“Soo _._ ”

“So how was your meeting last night, oppa?” Sooyoung brightly asks the man across from her.

Taeil smiles wistfully, head in the clouds. “Wonderful. We discussed the probability of the government holding zombies captive in order to unleash them if the North ever attack. I was a bit skeptical at first, but now I’m hooked.”

“Sound fascinating,” Sooyoung nods seriously.

“Soo.”

“And how was the cake tasting with Sungjae-ssi?”

“Oh, it was a lot of fun! We’re still arguing about which flavor but at least we’ve got the baker down.”

“ _Soo_.”

“When’s the date again? I remember RSVPing but for some reason I can’t remember the exact day.”

“March! You’ve still got plenty of time, so don’t worry too much. Besides, I’ll be reminding you every day in the month leading up to it.”

“Ahh, thanks. You’re a real lifesaver.”

“ _Park Sooyoung will you fucking pay attention to me._ ”

Sooyoung whirls towards him in a blinding flash. “What, Ten?” She snaps, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “This better be good because I have work to finish!”

Plastering on his best pleading grin that he knows makes him look absolutely pathetic, Ten says, “Code black.”

Instantly, Sooyoung’s glare turns into one of wide-eyed mischief. “Which flavor?” She whispers conspiratorially.

Ten ponders over that for a minute. “Give me the strongest you’ve got,” he decides at last.

“Mmhmm, gotcha,” Sooyoung nods. She bends down to unlock the bottom drawer of her desk and pulls it open to reveal a beautifully stacked set of wine coolers organized by the color of the rainbow. “I think you’re in a red kind of mood today,” she remarks.

“Red. Sounds good,” Ten agrees, absently handing his half-full coffee cup over.

As Sooyoung smoothly pops open the wine cooler and mixes some into the coffee, Seungwan just so happens to walk by at that exact moment. She glances over, continue walking, does a double take, then quickly backpedals. “It’s that kind of day, huh?” Seungwan comments with a raised brow.

Ten, meanwhile, is fascinated by the stream of red into his coffee. “Yup,” he declares emotionlessly.

Sooyoung finishes mixing Ten’s concoction and hands it over to him. “You want some too, unnie?” She offers.

Seungwan doesn’t even hesitate. “Hell yeah,” she nods, handing over her opaque water bottle. “It’s definitely that kind of day.”

“You don’t say,” Ten mutters under his breath, busy nursing his drink that admittedly tastes pretty bad. Perhaps he should increase the amount of alcohol and lessen the coffee. He makes a mental note of that for the next time.

A large hand holding a thermos extends over Sooyoung’s cubicle. “Mind topping me off, too?” Park fucking Chanyeol, the responsible manager, asks with a grim expression.

“Always,” Sooyoung nods solemnly.

After she finishes pouring, the four of them clink their coffee mug, water bottle, thermos, and bottle together before downing their drinks at the same time.

Chanyeol lets out a long, beleaguered sigh as he stares down at his now empty thermos. “If I were a better manager I wouldn’t condone this, but it’s too late for that now,” he laments.

“Nah, you’re a great manager,” Seungwan disagrees. “You let us drink during work. I don’t know anyone else who would do that.”

“Thanks,” Chanyeol grimaces.

“Excuse me?” Sicheng’s voice chimes in. For once, the receptionist has actually left his desk without having to be pried from it. He holds out his mug expectantly, which Sooyoung immediately fills. “Thanks,” he nods appreciatively before tossing his head back and drinking like his life depends on it.

“So,” Sooyoung remarks as she takes another swig from the bottle. “What’s got you all in the mood?

Seungwan shrugs. “Someone hasn’t been watching their intern all day, so now Jeno’s been bothering Jaemin. I can’t concentrate with all their giggling so I gave up.”

“Yuta,” Sicheng states flatly as he holds out his mug again.

Ten narrows his eyes. _I see right through you and your fake tsundere ass_ , he thinks. He almost says it out loud too, but luckily he still has enough of a filter to keep his mouth shut.

“There’s this dinner party with corporate over the weekend and I’m being forced to go,” Chanyeol explains.

Four pairs of curious eyes turn to Ten, the one who started it all. Taking his sweet time in savoring the last drops of the gross mixture, Ten vehemently grumbles, “Men ain’t shit.”

Sooyoung just chuckles. “Amen to that,” she grins knowingly.

“You’re kidding,” Jongdae’s unimpressed voice rings through the air. The assistant manager stands with his weight shifted to one side, arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently. Safe to say he is not about to take any of their bullshit, which really isn’t surprising considering how much dumb stuff he already has to deal with on the daily.

“It is literally,” Jongdae quickly checks his watch, “nine o’clock and you’re already busting out the booze? Seriously, guys? What happened to being productive and working hard during the day, then letting loose at night? Why can’t we stick to our morals? Is this what the next generation’s come to? Even _you_ , Chanyeol—I’m especially disappointed in you! You’re supposed to be the boss, yet here you are slacking off! Is that the standard you’re trying to set for our young employees? Are you trying to corrupt the youth?”

“You’re only four years older than me,” Ten points out to deaf ears.

Jongdae throws his hands up in the air, causing a few loose pieces of paper in the folder in his hand to fly out. “I come here to make money so I can send my two kids to college and this is what I have to deal with? Fuck this, really—if you all can’t maintain a respectable standard then maybe I should just find a better job!”

Calmly, Sooyoung reaches into her drawer and pulls out a pink wine cooler. She hands it to Chanyeol, who in turn presses it into Jongdae’s free hand. “Dude, I think you need this right now,” Chanyeol remarks solemnly.

Jongdae glares at him for the briefest of seconds, then shrugs and pops open the top. “It’s one of those days,” he groans.

“Amen,” everyone agrees. 

 

An arm drapes over Ten’s shoulders, which he very pointedly tries to ignore. “I’m busy,” he grumbles, trying to shove off the offensive arm to no avail.

“You’ve been staring at that one page for the last ten minutes,” Yuta points out with a shit-eating grin.

“No I haven’t.”

“Yes he has,” Jeno chimes in helpfully.

Ten swats in the general direction of his intern. “Go flirt with Jaemin, brat.”

Jeno lights up. “Really?” He asks excitedly.

“Yeah, go ahead— _no, of course not._ You’re not being paid to flirt!” Ten scolds, smacking Jeno for real this time.

“Darn,” Jeno sighs, longingly gazing over to the accounting desks. “But Nana looks especially cute today…”

“That’s not my problem, is it?” Ten says dryly.

Jeno gives him the puppy dog eyes, which is totally unfair because the little shit knows for a fact that Ten’s weak for puppies.

“Fine! Go flirt and kiss and get married for all I care!” He declares, shooing a now happy Jeno away.

“Wow, that’s some A+ mentoring,” Yuta remarks sarcastically.

Ten lazily aims a kick at his leg. “Leave me alone, I have work to do.”

“You’re still staring at that same page.”

“So? I’m a slow reader.”

“Dude, there’s like, one paragraph on the entire thing.”

Damn, Yuta’s actually right. Cursing internally, Ten wills himself to accept responsibility for his own dumb actions and turns to his friend. “Okay, so what do you want to talk about?” Ten demands apprehensively.

Yuta’s grin turns from shit-eating to _holy fuck that’s terrifying he’s like that one creepy clown in the sewers._ “Why don’t you tell me who confessed to you the other day?” He smirks.

“Oh, someone confessed to me? I don’t remember that at all,” Ten declares, feigning innocence.

“Dumbass,” Yuta tsks. He pulls out his phone and unlocks it to reveal a screenshot of their messages from the day before. “I have all the proof right here.”

“You can’t prove that’s me you were talking to!”

“It literally says your name at the top of the chat.”

“Well maybe someone stole my phone! Maybe it’s an imposter! Bet you didn’t consider that, huh?”

“No one else is as dumb as you are.”

“I hate you,” Ten retorts.

“Good,” Yuta shoots back.

Luckily, Sunyoung and Doyoung are both on break right now and Jeno’s of course off flirting with Jaemin. Ten doesn’t have to worry about being overheard—well, Taeil can probably hear him because of that “x-ray hearing” of his, but he doesn’t particularly fear Taeil so it’s alright—but still, this isn’t a conversation he wants to have. He’d texted Yuta last night on a whim when he was confused and conflicted. Today, Ten is a new man. He’s no longer puzzled; he’s made up his mind, and he most certainly doesn’t need the help of someone who’s been lying to him for god knows how long now.

“It’s not a big deal,” Ten says at last. “Come on, man. Just let it go. I’ve already got everything sorted out and don’t need your help.”

Yuta shakes his head contemptuously. “I think you’re misunderstanding me, dear Ten. I’m not here to offer you any help—I’m here to make you uncomfortable and force you to tell me all your secrets. Go to Seungwan-noona if you want help; I’m here to make your life a living hell.”

“Evidently,” Ten snorts.

A thought suddenly occurs to him. Yuta wants Ten to spill all his secrets? Well maybe Yuta should consider telling the truth, too.

Narrowing his eyes, Ten slowly says, “I don’t have any secrets, trust me. But what about you?”

“Huh?” Yuta reels back. His Adam’s apple bobs as he gulps visibly, a telltale sign that he’s nervous and hiding something. Laughing shakily, he says, “What are you talking about, Ten? What would I have to hide?”

Ten hums lightly. “You tell me, Nakamoto,” he sings teasingly, knowing he’s won this battle. “You tell me.”

“Damn,” Yuta sighs, sagging down in defeat. “Guess you really won’t budge, huh?”

“Nope.”

After a few minutes of some productivity—Ten successfully finishes reading the paragraph and moves on to the last page of the report—Yuta prods him on the shoulder. “Wanna eat out after work? It’s on me today,” he offers.

Admittedly, that sounds pretty nice. Ten always jumps at the opportunity to exploit Nakamoto Yuta and empty his wallet. He opens his mouth to say yes, but then he remembers that he already has a prior engagement.

“Sorry, can’t,” he apologizes. Grimly, he adds, “I’ve got a date.”

“Oh, cool,” Yuta nods, not fully processing the second part of Ten’s statement. “Rain check, then? Maybe tomorrow?”

Ten nods. “Mmhmm. Sounds good.”

A few minutes later, Yuta leaps out of his seat and points an accusing finger at Ten. “Wait, you’ve got a _what_?”

Calmly, Ten finishes reading the last page and decides that now would be a great time to take his break.

 

The company café isn’t particularly big, nor is the coffee particularly great. Jongdae once made a sassy remark about how if the private team could stop slacking off so much they could possibly raise enough extra money to improve the café. Everyone nodded seriously at his comment, only to immediately go back to goofing around. If Ten remembers correctly, Jongdae had made a beeline straight for Sooyoung’s wine coolers that day.

Again, the coffee isn’t particularly great, but it does it’s job. Ten sips cautiously at his drink, cringes at the bitterness, and promptly rips open three sugar packets.

Johnny, from where he sits across from Ten, watches in mildly disturbed awe as the latter dumps in all three packets at once. “That’s an awful lot of sugar,” he notes delicately.

“That’s correct,” Ten agrees nonchalantly, leaving the now empty packets next to the two he’d already used earlier. “I’ve got a sweet tooth, y’know? I blame Taeyong for that, really—it’s all because he used to horde sweets in our dorm, so eventually I caved in and ate a ton of them, too.”

“I see,” Johnny continues watching with a raised brow. Ten’s coffee is now a very, very pale brown after all the sugar he’s added—a far cry from Johnny’s own pitch black cup. 

_Black coffee_ , Ten thinks dryly. As far as he’s concerned, only assholes or overly pretentious people drink their coffee pure black. How fitting for Johnny.

He’s so absorbed in his snarky thoughts he doesn’t realize Johnny’s been saying something until the other man stares at him expectantly. “Oh, sorry,” Ten blinks rapidly. “Zoned out. What’d you say again?”

Johnny tilts his head. “I asked if you’ve spoken to him at all since yesterday?”

“Spoken to him? Who’s ‘him’?” Ten repeats blankly.

“Taeyong,” Johnny says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Ah.

Suddenly, Ten is all too aware of the phone in his pocket burning against his leg. After Taeyong’s apology text from yesterday morning, Ten’s received a few other messages. He only briefly looked at them without replying, not knowing what to say to Taeyong’s awkward attempts at sparking conversation. A small part of him feels vicious pleasure for giving Taeyong a taste of his own medicine, but the more reasonable parts of him point out how unfair he’s being. Two wrongs never make a right, especially when the whole problem was a lack of communication in the first place.

Still, Ten would never say he’s a saint. Maybe he should tell Taeyong exactly how he feels instead of leaving his best friend on read, but it’s hard to do the right thing when he’s feeling so conflicted.

“Not really,” Ten sighs, gripping at his hair with his fingers. “I feel like the only way to clear everything up and make amends is for us to talk, but I just don’t know how to do that.”

Swiftly, he adds, “And besides, that’s not why we’re here right now. I need you to spill all the tea on Yuta and Sicheng.”

Johnny hesitates, clearly reluctant to change the subject so quickly. “Ten, are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? Sometimes telling a third party is the best way to loosen up and talk to the person you actually have to confront,” he suggest wisely.

Fuck Johnny and his wisdom, Ten decides. Gritting his teeth, he mutters, “Tell me about Yuta and Sicheng. _Now._ ”

Taking the hint, Johnny dips his head respectfully. He takes a sip of his black coffee and says, “Well, there isn’t much more to tell you other than what I’ve already said. I caught them together once and then I noticed a lot of the small things they do, so I figured they were dating. I assumed everyone else knew too, what with how close you all are and everything.”

“I guess we’re not that close after all,” Ten comments with more venom than initially intended.

“Hey, don’t be like that,” Johnny insists. “I know you feel offended that Yuta didn’t tell you, but he and Sicheng probably have their reasons for wanting to keep their relationships secret. Some of my coworkers back in Incheon were also in relationships, but not all of them were public about it. I think they want to keep a divide between personal and work like, you know? Like they don’t want everyone in the office to know. That’s pretty reasonable.”

“It is,” Ten agrees. “And I am a little offended,” he admits reluctantly. “But mostly I’m just…stunned, I guess?”

“By how they kept it secret for so long?” Johnny inquires curiously.

Ten shakes his head. “That, but also not that, if you get me. Without sounding like a complete bitch, I guess the only way to explain it is that I’m stunned Yuta’s even in a relationship in the first place.”

“This will make me sound really stupid and probably really annoying too, but,” Ten begins, searching for the rights except there are none and he’s left floundering for the first that come to mind. “Well, you know I’m super close to him and Seungwan. They were the first friends I made when I joined the team, and they’re easily my closest friends after Taeyong. Jongdae-hyung calls us the troublemaking trio and all that, but overall it kind of feels like the whole team treats us like kids? Like the hopeless but endearing ones they take seriously because we’re adults and their coworkers, but they also don’t because we’re kind of immature? I don’t know if immature is the right word, but that’s the best way I can describe us.”

Johnny doesn’t utter a word; he merely nods and motions for Ten to continue, watching him with an intrigued yet also unreadable emotion in his eyes.

Ten takes a deep breath. “So it’s because no one ever really takes us seriously that I thought, hey, it’s alright for us to still act like kids. It’s okay that we’re all immature and dumb, because we’ve got all the time in the world to act like that. It doesn’t matter that we can be a nuisance; we just like to have fun.”

“Yuta’s been flirting with Sicheng ever since I met him, but because Sicheng always pretends to not care, I never thought much of it. I think it’s also because I myself didn’t take Yuta seriously either, so I had this bias that he would never be mature enough to like, be in a relationship or stuff like that. So finding out about him and Sicheng has just been a major reality check for me, in a way. It’s like, wow, we really are almost thirty, and this is the peak time of our lives where we should start adulting for real. Yuta even kept it a secret for however long they’ve been together—if that doesn’t take a certain degree of maturity, then I don’t know what does.”

“So all in all…I guess I am happy for Yuta because he’s been chasing after Sicheng for so long now and they seem to genuinely like each other. But I’m also kind of sad because it’s making me realize how much I still have to learn. Like here I am, a barely functioning adult who can’t even talk to his best friend. What kind of an adult am I? A piss poor one, by the looks of it.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Ten lowers his head down to the table. He can feel tears threatening to fall and tries his best to will them away. What the fuck is wrong with him—he should be nothing but proud of Yuta, yet here he is throwing himself a self-pity party just because he’s finally realized how hopeless he is. Some adult he is.

Something touches his hair. Ten lifts his head just enough to see Johnny smile softly as he ruffles Ten’s head like he’s some puppy. “I disagree,” Johnny says gently. “You’re doing just fine, Ten. You don’t have to worry about being a good adult or whatever—you’re only twenty-seven; that’s plenty of time to figure things out. A lot of people don’t even have themselves figured out until they’re old, so there’s really no rush.”

“Trust me, it’s not like I have anything figured out, either,” he shrugs evenly. Like usual, Johnny’s tone is neutral and doesn’t give anything away, except Ten detects the slightest edge to his companion’s voice. “I mean, look at me—I’m a year older than you, but I’ve got even less put together. I can’t even live in the same place without moving after a few years, that’s how hopeless I am. You think I’ve got this whole adulting thing figured out? At this rate, I don’t think I ever will.”

Johnny’s voice softens even more as he murmurs, “Adulting’s overrated, anyway. You’re allowed to have fun and not force yourself into committing to things, Ten. Everyone moves at a different pace, so you shouldn’t look at where Yuta or Seungwan or Taeyong or anyone else is and judge yourself based on them. Just live however you want and figure things out as you go. If I’m gonna be honest, I’ve found that winging it is the only plan in life.”

“Winging it?” Ten echoes skeptically. “That doesn’t exactly sound very, uh, secure. Aren’t we supposed to at least kind of know what we’re doing once we become adults?”

“Oh, please,” Johnny snorts. “We’re all winging it, Ten. No one has their life figured out, and if they do they’re a liar. And besides—you don’t need to be in a relationship or know what you’re doing in order to be an adult. You’ve just got to know how to keep going.”

_Keep going, huh?_

Ten crosses his arms on the table and props his chin on his elbow. “You seem to have this whole adulting thing figured out pretty well, Johnny Seo,” he remarks lightly.

Johnny lifts his cup up to take a sip, but Ten swears he sees the smallest hint of a smile before it’s obscured. “I’ve spent my whole life winging it and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon,” Johnny declares heavily.

“You don’t say?” Ten ponders. After a moment’s silence, he sighs and says, “So this means I’ll need to talk to Taeyong eventually, right?”

“I think you already know the answer to that.”

Even nine years after Ten first saw him in the university courtyard, Johnny hasn’t changed much. Sure he’s even taller than before and his jawline is considerably more prominent, and yeah maybe he’s even more distant than he was during college. In a strange, inexplicable way, however, Johnny still _glows._ He doesn’t smile much, but when he does, he means it. Despite coming off as a jerk and being reclusive, Johnny is still kind. Why else would he sit here with Ten and offer him reassurance, after all?

Perhaps that’s why Ten fell for him in the first place.

“That was a real bitch move of you, you know,” Ten blurts out. “Playing all hot and cold with me for months and then finally telling me you used to like me. Where was that confession six years ago, huh?”

Johnny steadily sets his now empty cup down. He takes his time in wiping his mouth with a napkin, then folding the paper in half and pressing it against the table. “I’ve been quite the jackass, huh,” Johnny states rather than asks.

Ten huffs. “Sure have.”

“I’m a shitty person,” Johnny confesses guiltily, eyes glimmering with remorse. “I’ve been cold to you when I shouldn’t have, and that’s all because I let some past feelings get the best of me. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again after I dropped you off at your apartment; I never even considered the possibility.”

“I guess I thought running back to Chicago would solve all my problems, except I only ended up running away from there, too.”

Ten shifts until he’s sitting upright again. With a wry smile, he remarks, “About damn time you realized how frustrating you are.”

He clears his throat and carefully laces his fingers together. “Let’s just forget about the past, okay?” Ten proposes lightly. “It doesn’t matter that I used to like you and you used to like me; that was years ago, we barely knew each other, and now we’re adults. Well, at least we’re more adult than we were back then. Let’s just get to know each other this time around, okay? Let’s be friends?”

Johnny gaze bores straight through Ten’s. “Friends,” he echoes. “I’d like that.”

Ten does his best to silence his protesting heart. _Stop,_ he warns, shoving his feelings down as far as he can. _Don’t be greedy._

His heart, however, agrees to disagree.

 

_“That took a lot longer than twenty minutes,” Johnny teases once Ten finally emerges from the bedroom._

_“Sue me,” Ten retorts. He wraps his sweater tighter around himself and whines, “Where the hell are we going, anyway? It’s ass o’clock in the morning and I just wanna go back to bed.”_

_Johnny responds by fishing his keys from his pocket and tossing them towards him. Startled and completely unprepared, Ten just barely manages to catch them._

_“What the fu—” he begins to demand, only for Johnny to cut him off with a grin that’s entirely too mischievous for anyone’s good. Ten’s heart flips around in his chest like a gymnast at the sight of it._

_With that grin still intact, Johnny heads for the door and gestures for Ten to follow. “Today, I’m gonna teach you how to drive.”_

_Ten gulps._

 

_Lee Taeyong: Hi Tennie…_

_Lee Taeyong: You don’t have to respond to me. Again, I don’t blame you for not wanting to talk. It’s my fault after all, and I’m the one who has to accept responsibility._

_Lee Taeyong: It’s just…I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. I miss you so much, but at the same time I feel like it’s so hard to contact you? Like even though it only takes a couple hours on a train or a simple phone call to reach you, I just don’t know how to do it? It’s not because I don’t want to talk to you, God no. You’re my best friend and you’ve been there for me for almost ten years now; of course I still want to talk to you. I wish we still lived across the hall from each other and you’d come over and third wheel all the time. I miss that a lot._

_Lee Taeyong: Jaehyunnie’s been worried about me for a long time now, but I keep telling him I’m fine. He likes it here in Jeonju a lot and of course it was the best step for him to further his career. But I don’t know, Jeonju isn’t the same as Seoul. Remember when he had to move first, before I got the new job? He even told me that if I didn’t want to go, he could either come back every weekend or even stay in Seoul entirely—he was willing to do so much for me, so I thought it wouldn’t be hard for me to adjust to Jeonju. And I do like it here, but it’s not the same. I think he knows how I’ve been feeling, too, so he even started looking for hospitals in Seoul to transfer to. And I’m conflicted because I know he’d be happy wherever as long as we’re together, but this job he has is really good and it’s better for him to stay here. He’s been so kind and patient with me all this time—he keeps telling me that I need to consider my own happiness too instead of just his, that even if I tell him I want to move all the way to like, Japan or wherever, he’d still love me and follow me in a heartbeat. He wants me to be happy_

_Lee Taeyong: I guess that’s the problem isn’t it? That I don’t know how to tell him I’m having trouble adjusting to Jeonju, except he already knows but is waiting for me to open up to him because he knows I wouldn’t admit it otherwise? We really are a hopeless couple, aren’t we?_

_Lee Taeyong: AHHHHHHH, WAIT!!! I’m so sorry, holy shit. I’ve just made this all about me again, haven’t I? Oh my god, I keep doing this to you and you don’t deserve it, Tennie. You deserve so much better than a selfish best friend like me._

_Lee Taeyong: I miss you. A lot. I miss you so much that I’m too afraid to pick up the phone, because then I’ll just miss you even more._

_Lee Taeyong: God, what’s wrong with me? I’m just pinning all the blame on you now. I really do suck at communication, aghhhh._

_Lee Taeyong: Okay, I’ve made up my mind. Tomorrow I’ll talk to Jaehyunnie and tell him everything. I’ll let him know everything about how I’m feeling, and then we won’t be so hopeless anymore. We both just want each other to be happy, except we’ve been overcomplicating things recently. We will talk things out, and then we’ll figure out what to do next. That’s what love is, after all._

_Lee Taeyong: And again, I know that I’ve been selfish and a terrible friend ever since I moved, but I want you to know that I love you, Tennie. You’ve been my rock for nine years, and it’s about time I stop taking you for granted. You’re irreplaceable and I hope you know just how much you’re worth._

_Lee Taeyong: So talk to me when you’re ready, okay? I don’t care how long it takes, but the second you call I’ll be there. We can work things out—we’re Ten and Taeyong! I’ll be better, and you’ll finally be treated right._

_Lee Taeyong: I love you <3_

 

Seungwan watches as Ten prances around the office, her brows furrowed and expression a mixture of concerned and suspicious. “Just a few days ago you called a Code Black, and now you’re all happy again? I’m all for supporting your happiness and whatever, but this is an awfully sudden turn of events. Who are you, and what have you done with the Ten I know?” She demands, slamming her fist down on her desk in emphasis.

Ten, however, smirks and reaches over to ruffle her perfectly smooth hair as hard as he can. “What, I can’t be in good moods now?” He scoffs.

“Not on my watch you can’t!” Seungwan barks, glowering as she half-heartedly attempts to fix her now messy hair. “Jesus, kid, what’s gotten into you? Did you get laid or something?”

“Even better,” Ten winks as suggestively as possible.

Jaemin looks up, removes his glasses, and rubs his eyes vigorously. “I never wanted that imagery in my head, and now that I have it I’ve been scarred for life,” he moans in despair.

Ten reaches over to aggressively ruffle his hair as well, beaming as Jaemin squawks in protest. “Live a little, Nana. What’s the point of being an adult if you can’t have a little fun every now and then?”

Right at that moment, Jongdae and Mark enter the office after presumably finishing a meeting. Jongdae’s got a thermos in one hand and a stack of folders in the other, explaining something as Mark nods diligently. Ten perks up at the sight of his beloved assistant manager—his second dad, as he likes to say. Jongdae once heard that nickname and assigned Ten to two hours of overtime, but not before smiling fondly at the sentiment.

“Morning, hyung!” Ten greets cheerfully. “How was your meet—”

Jongdae silences him by raising his hand holding the folders. Steadily, he takes a long drink from his thermos, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and exhales with a pleased sigh. Then he turns to Ten and promptly announces, “Get fucked.”

“Huh?” Ten exclaims in shock. Sure Jongdae can be extremely acerbic and is no stranger to cussing out Ten on the daily, but that’s only when Ten’s done something that deserves a cussing out. He only greeted Jongdae; why is he getting sworn at now?

Mark sends a scandalized look his mentor’s way. “Isn’t that a bit harsh, hyung?” He suggests bemusedly.

Jongdae shakes his head and matter of factly dumps his folders in Mark’s arms. “You see, young one, I have to deal with a lot as an assistant manager,” he explains with a dramatic sigh. “People usually think it’s a soft job because it’s not the manager, but trust me; assistant managers have it worse. We actually have to deal with all the dumbass workers, whereas the manager can lock himself in his office and ignore us all he wants.”

“Um, and your point is?” Seungwan interjects.

“My point,” Jongdae declares grandly, “is that I’ve dealt with a lot over the course of five years here, but from now on I will be putting my foot down. Whenever a member of the troublemaking trio dares speak to me, I will simply greet him or her by saying, ‘Get fucked’. It’s simple but effective.”

Ten quirks a brow. “But what if we actually have a legit question? Like, what if it’s work related or some emergency?” He points out.

Jongdae shrugs. “Well in that case, you would be unperturbed by my greeting and tell me what’s going on. The cussing out is only to discourage any meaningless conversation that would waste not only my time, but the entire team’s time.”

Both amused while still the slightest bit confused, Ten and Seungwan exchange glances. _Just let him be,_ Seungwan communicates with her eyes.

_He’s nuts,_ Ten retorts.

_Well he’s also got power over us!_

“I can tell you’re having a silent conversation right now and I bet it’s probably about me, isn’t it?” Jongdae comments dryly. He snatches one of the folders back from Mark and whacks Seungwan and Ten across the tops of their heads. “Well in that case, both of you can get fucked. Now back to work, lackeys.”

“Yes, sir,” the troublesome duo salute in unison.

Ten skips off to his desk, pausing briefly to wave and exchange quick greetings as he passes Johnny. Things between him and the HR rep aren’t exactly easy, per se, but Johnny doesn’t seem quite so distant anymore and Ten feels relieved that they’ve gotten their past out of the way—well, at least part of it. There’s still plenty more to talk about, but that can wait.

The same goes for Taeyong, too. Ten still hasn’t responded to Taeyong’s long string of texts and what they really need to do is talk, but that’s all in due time. He still doesn’t feel quite ready to spill all his feelings to Taeyong quite yet, but Taeyong’s okay with waiting and Ten’s not in a rush. 

Ten is a rather simple man: when he’s feeling down he’s more often than not  _very_ down, but once he knows he has a solution or that everything will turn out alright, he’s as bright as usual. Because being gloomy all the time? It’s not very much fun, and he’s tired of always feeling down. Maybe things aren’t perfect quite yet, but he’s satisfied with the measures he’s already taken to face issues he’d previously shoved away.

So far he’s only taken baby steps to addressing his problems, but that’s still a start. Baby steps are essential for adulting. 

Yuta glances up when Ten slides into his swivel chair. “Did you get laid or something?”

Ten frowns. “I’m offended that people think I can only be happy after getting laid. What, is it that shocking now to see me in a good mood?” He shoots back.

“Uh, not really?” Yuta tilts his head. A hint of concern still present in his voice, he continues to say, “I’m just relieved, okay? You really haven’t been yourself recently, so I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

He leans closer and whispers, “But just between you and me, did you actually get laid or not? Was it your mysterious confessor?”

Unsurprisingly, Yuta’s top few buttons are undone and part of his chest is exposed. But surprisingly—and to Ten’s immense amusement—there’s a large dark mark marring Yuta’s sternum. When he sits up straight the mark is obscured by his shirt, but when he leans over like that…well!

“No, but clearly you did,” Ten smiles sweetly.

Yuta blinks, but not quickly enough to hide the panic in his eyes. “What? Uhhh, what are you talking about?” He laughs nervously.

Ten widens his smile. “Oh, nothing.”

He’ll let Yuta figure that one out for himself.

 

Unfortunately, Happy Ten borders dangerously close to Airheaded Ten. As much as he’d like to believe he’s a perfectly level-headed person, Ten knows that he’s prone to bouts of extreme dumbness. It may be rare, but his dumb bitch persona tends to strike out at the most inopportune moments.

Today, that inopportune moment comes in the form of Ten forgetting his wallet at the office and not remembering it until he’s already at the subway, about to swipe his train card. He digs around all his pockets and even his backpack, but alas, nothing.  So with a beleaguered sigh and an internal curse against Seungwan for refusing to drive him, Ten shoulders his backpack and trudges back to the company.

The building still has a few lights on, but it’s eerily dark and a stark contrast to the blinding brightness in the daytime. Ten tries to convince himself that ghosts totally aren’t real and he needs to grow the fuck up, but the second a light in the lobby starts flickering, he books it to the elevator and doesn’t breathe again until the he’s safely inside and traveling upwards.

The top floor is just as dark as the lobby—even darker actually, if anything. Swallowing, Ten clutches his backpack even tighter and jogs over to the main room. Funnily enough, the light to Chanyeol’s private office is still on. Ten doesn’t think much of it, automatically chalking it down to the manager pulling a late night before the big meeting with corporate. He makes a beeline for his desk and, after grimacing at the messy state he’d left it in, easily finds his wallet and is ready to get the fuck out of the dark building.

But then he hears something that stops him in his tracks.

“I like you.”

That’s Baekhyun’s voice, no doubt about it. Only then does Ten realize that the door to Chanyeol’s space is slightly ajar, allowing for the voices within to project outside. The more sensible part of his brain urges him to make a run for it because whatever’s going on in there isn’t any of his business and if he doesn’t hurry the ghosts will get to him. Instead, he remains rooted in place, breath caught in his throat as he awaits a response to the confession.

A deep voice that unmistakably belongs to Chanyeol groans. “Let’s not do this right now, okay?”

“But why?” Baekhyun’s much higher voice demands. “If not now then when? You’ve been giving me the same answer for months now, so when’s that supposed to change?”

“Come on, Baek. I’m tired and it’s getting late—you should head home quickly, and—”

The sound of a foot being stomped against the ground rings out dully. “ _You’re_ tired? Well I’m tired too! Tired of you playing this back and forth game with me and never telling me how you actually feel! You don’t get to just kiss me and pretend it never happened—just tell me the truth for once, Chanyeol!”

“You want the truth? Fine!” Chanyeol snaps, volume rising with each word. “The truth is that I can’t do this. I. Can’t. Do. This. I can’t and I won’t, Baek, so maybe you should stop pretending that I can!”

“Then stop letting me think you can!” Baekhyun screams back.

Ten hears the sound of the door swinging open, so he hastily ducks below his desk. Baekhyun storms out of the private office, aggressively wiping at his eyes and covering his face. He snatches his jacket and bag from his desk and stalks over to the elevators. Moments later, the lights in Chanyeol’s office flick off as the manager himself takes his leave, expression dark and unreadable.

The second Chanyeol’s footsteps disappear, Ten lets out the breath he’s been holding for god knows how long. As he’s about to climb out from under his desk and head home for real, he finds himself frozen in place again.

“Ahem,” Jongdae clears his throat, staring down at Ten with narrowed, unimpressed eyes.

Ten blinks very, very slowly.

Jongdae continues to stare at him with that cold glare. Wordlessly, he crooks a finger to signal Ten to get up, then marches over to his own desk.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Ten insists quickly. “Really, I didn’t! I came back because I left my wallet here, and then I just—”

“Shut up, Ten.”

Obediently, Ten keeps quiet.

Jongdae is by no means tall, but when he’s dead serious like he is right now, he’s downright frightening. Ten’s used to the smiling and/or joking Jongdae, but this? This is another beast entirely, and one he’s not at all familiar with.

Turning his back to Ten, Jongdae picks up his phone and scrolls through it. Briefly, Ten considers the pros and cons of making a run for it and dealing with the consequences the next day. Jongdae’s got pretty short legs; surely it wouldn’t be that hard to outrun him, would it?

“Oi! Thai midget!” Jongdae barks, effectively causing Ten to stiffen in place.

Ten would like to point out how Jongdae really shouldn’t be calling him a midget when Jongdae himself is barely any taller, but because he values his life, he chooses to keep his mouth shut. 

With a sigh, Jongdae opens the top drawer of his desk and pulls out some papers He shoves them into Ten’s hands and goes back to his phone. “Pick one,” he orders.

Terrified, Ten glances down at the papers in his hands to find…barbecue restaurant menus?

“Um, hyung?” He speaks up timidly.

“You heard me,” Jongdae snaps. “Pick one. We’ll go there for dinner after I finish making this call.”

Ten hesitates. “Erm, who exactly are you calling?”

Jongdae rolls his eyes as he puts the phone up to his ear. “I was hoping things wouldn’t escalate this far, but it looks like drastic times call for drastic measures.”

“It’s time to call Kyungsoo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know that so far, Ten and Johnny haven't really had a lot of one on one moments so far. But trust me, things will heat up quite fast soon :)


	7. Jongdae adopts Ten, Doyoung ruins Christmas in advance, and nothing has changed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I upped the number of chapters just a little! I had this whole plot outline when I started, but then I kind of got sidetracked lol and this fic will end up being a little longer than originally planned.
> 
> Also, more than half of this chapter is basically one giant scene. Be warned.
> 
> Enjoy!

In all honesty, Ten knows his life has been nothing short of weird episode after weird episode. It’s as if wherever he goes, the weirdness follows. He’s not quite sure if it’s because his luck likes to fuck with him or maybe it’s because he himself is an exceptionally strange person, but somehow he always ends up in inexplicable, unexpected situations after doing something completely ordinary.

Leaves Thailand to pursue higher education in Korea? Becomes roommates and subsequently best friends with a dude who is both the most beautiful person alive and the biggest fucking nerd ever.

Joins the university dance team? Meets Johnny Seo and proceeds to get fucked over by his feelings for about the next nine years.

Accepts a sales position in the private team of the Taeng&Co Seoul branch? Finds out the office consists entirely of crackheads (only the good kind though).

Forgets his wallet at the office? Accidentally overhears a damning conversation between his manager and the secretary, tries to hide, and then gets caught by his assistant manager.

Caught by his assistant manager? Gets treated to barbecue by said assistant manager.

Jongdae stabs down at the meat with more force than necessary. “Eat,” he barks, piling piece after piece on Ten’s plate. “Don’t make me regret buying the most expensive parts—you know how much ribs cost, huh? Because it sure as hell isn't cheap and I'm spending my hard-earned money on you!”

Perhaps Sicheng isn’t the biggest tsundere in the office after all. “Thanks, hyung,” Ten manages a smile. He picks up his chopsticks and carefully takes a bite, then says, “But, why are you treating me?”

“Why not?” Jongdae retorts, focused on cooking a piece of steak just right.

Ten pauses awkwardly. “Um, aren’t you mad at me right now?”

Jongdae doesn’t bat an eye. “Why would I be mad?”

“Because I heard something I shouldn’t have?”

“That you did,” Jongdae agrees with a long sigh, finally setting the tongs down after deciding the meat is decent.

Ten’s often heard the others describe Jongdae as having a catlike mouth and disposition, and he’s got to admit that it’s a pretty fair assessment. Right now, with the way the assistant manager peers at him with slightly narrowed, calculating eyes, he looks exactly like a cat judging whether or not it trusts a human.

Calmly, Jongdae bunches a piece of meat into a lettuce wrap and pops it into his mouth. “But it’s not like you meant to, and it’s their own fault for being so emotionally constipated all the time,” he declares after swallowing.

“And besides,” Jongdae adds. “You’re probably curious, aren’t you? Can’t say I blame you for that.”

After over two years of getting slapped upside the head, flicked, whacked, and about a hundred other painful adjectives for even remotely mentioning Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s confusing relationship, Ten quite frankly doesn’t know how to respond to Jongdae’s newfound laidback demeanor regarding the matter. He’s got plenty of questions, but suddenly he doesn’t know where to start or if he even should at all.

Noticing Ten’s hesitation, Jongdae lets out another sigh and, after downing a shot of soju, clasps his hands together. “At a loss for words, hmm? Then just eat and let me do all the talking.”

Ten nods gratefully and, with his appetite returning, digs in to his dinner.

Jongdae rests his chin on a hand and hums lightly. “Baekhyun and I have been best friends since like, oh god, I don’t even know. Diaper days, maybe? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how long it’s been—the point is, we’ve always been together. At least we _were_ always together until I went to college.”

“Baekhyun-hyung didn’t go?” Ten asks through a mouthful of rice.

“Oi, chew first then speak!” Jongdae chides. “But to answer the question, no he did not. He got scouted during our second year of high school and was too busy training, so he stopped school after graduation.”

Ten, who’d just taken a sip of water, promptly spits it out. “He was gonna be an idol?” Ten demands incredulously, jaw hanging open in shock.

“Yeah,” Jongdae nods, eyeing Ten’s spat-out water with distaste. “We’d always do this duet together at our school talent show, and it just so happened that a scout was there that year. I got an offer too, but I ended up deciding not to audition.”

“ _You,_ an idol?” Ten gapes. Somehow, he really cannot imagine Jongdae with makeup and colorful hair and leather pants. With a shudder, he decides that that’s not something he’d ever like to see in this lifetime.

As if he could read Ten’s mind, Jongdae glares with the fire of a million suns. “Hey, what’s that stupid look on your face for? I’ll have you know that I was—and still am!—a damn good singer!”

It’s not like Ten can argue with that; he’s heard the guy going at it during karaoke nights. “Good point. Now carry on,” Ten smiles sweetly.

Jongdae rolls his eyes, muttering something under his breath about unappreciative brats. “Where was I? Ah yes, Baekhyun—so yeah, he trained for a while and there were plans for him to debut when we were twenty, but then some shit behind the scenes happened and the company delayed it. The debut just kept on getting pushed back for years until eventually Baek decided he’d had enough and quit. But he didn’t feel like pursuing higher education, so he ended up working at this café.”

“I was swamped with school when he was still training, so for a few years we didn’t have a lot of time to meet up. We still kept in touch, but that’s not the same, you know? So while he wasn’t there, I had a new friend. Guess who.”

“Um,” Ten blinks. “Chanyeol?”

“Close. It was actually Kyungsoo,” Jongdae corrects. He pauses to take another shot, setting down his glass forcefully once he’s finished. “We met in an a cappella group—I see you smirking, you little shit. _Yes_ it was a cappella, and no you can’t judge me. But anyway. Kyungsoo and I grew close, and pretty soon he was basically my closest friend after Baekhyun. Soo was…well, he was interesting, that’s for sure.”

Ten nods in agreement. If he remembers correctly, Kyungsoo used to work as a paralegal at a nearby firm and would occasionally drop by to have lunch or spend time with Chanyeol. Short, wide-eyed, quiet, and always solemn, Kyungsoo wasn’t exactly what Ten imagined Chanyeol’s type to be. Conversely, someone as loud and cheerful as Chanyeol didn’t seem to be the type of someone so serious. But hey, love is love.

Or, at least love _was_ love.

Jongdae chuckles lightly. “I still remember the first time I heard about Yeol. It was freshman year and Kyungsoo and I had just gotten out of class. He wouldn’t stop talking about this guy from another university his friend had introduced him to, and how they’d been texting for a while. I’d never seen Soo like that before—he was usually so quiet, but it was like he’d all of a sudden burst awake. Soon he had his first date with Chanyeol, then a second, then a third, and the rest was history.”

“I don’t think I actually met Chanyeol until they’d been dating for a few months, but when our schedules finally worked out, I got lunch with them. It was strange at first because my initial impression of Chanyeol was that he was too carefree and clumsy for Soo. I thought he’d be the type to fall too hard too fast, that eventually Kyungsoo would get tired of him and they’d break up.”

With a rueful smile, Jongdae remarks, “Guess I couldn’t have been more wrong. Because here’s the thing—you know how with some couples, there’s one person who loves the other more? Most people who knew them thought it would be Chanyeol, but it was actually the other way around.”

“I love Sunyoung,” he declares shamelessly. “I love her and our kids more than anything. They help me be a better person and give me so much happiness. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world, period.”

“Now take everything I’ve just said and multiply that by like, a hundred thousand. That’s how much Kyungsoo loved Chanyeol.”

Ten frowns in thought. Again, it’s not like he’s ever actually spoken to Kyungsoo before, and from the few times he’s seen him Kyungsoo didn’t seem particularly whipped or anything for Chanyeol. They’d just seemed like a normal married couple—bickering constantly, but also very obviously in love.

“Strange to imagine, right?” Jongdae raises a brow as he pours himself another shot. “I’ve never seen someone love another person as much as Kyungsoo loved Chanyeol. It was like, the closest you can get to obsession without actually being obsession, if that makes sense. Kyungsoo literally stared at Chanyeol like the sun shone out of his ass, but because he was quiet he wasn’t that verbal about it. Still, Chanyeol could read him like a book and knew how strong Soo’s feelings were.”

Jongdae tips his head back to drink his glass. “That’s not to say Chanyeol didn’t love him back, though. They…they had something really special. They weren’t one of those sickeningly sweet PDA-y couples, but it was like, all you had to do was stand next to them to know how much they loved each other.”

“So what happened?” Ten dares to ask. His appetite has left him once again, but he forces himself to shove some beef into his mouth anyway. “If they loved each other that much, then why did they get divorced?”

Gripping his chopsticks until his fingers turn white, Jongdae shrugs as evenly as he can and replies, “Because Chanyeol fell out of love.”

Ten grits his teeth. “Then doesn’t that mean he didn’t love Kyungsoo enough in the first place?” He points out angrily. “If you really loved someone, you wouldn’t just wake up one day and stop loving them. Love’s not supposed to work that way!”

Jongdae merely tsks. “Ten, it’s not that simple,” he remarks, dragging a hand through his hair. His voice is uncharacteristically serious—usually Jongdae talks to Ten with a blend of patience and exasperation, but now he’s all grim and grave. “I don’t want to sound condescending by saying this, but clearly you haven’t experienced love yet if you think it’s that easy.”

Flushing, Ten slams his chopsticks down and demands, “Then how is it so easy to fall out love?”

“Because people are shitty,” Jongdae smiles tiredly. “People are so, so shitty. We fall in love then fall out of it, come and go, and tell the truth and lie all the time. It shouldn’t be like that but that’s just how it is. Chanyeol shouldn’t have fallen out of love, but he did. Baekhyun shouldn’t have fallen in love, but he did. Kyungsoo shouldn’t have loved so hard, but he did.”

He studies the grill as he quietly adds, “I shouldn’t have looked at Sunyoung when I was still with Seungwan, but I did.”

Ten’s throat goes dry.

“Don’t give me that look,” Jongdae says without even looking up. “I’m no saint, but nothing _bad_ happened. Seungwan and I had only gone on a few dates and it was super casual, but it’s the fact that it _could_ have been more if I hadn’t met Sunyoung. Both Seungwan and I are much happier with our current friendship, but it doesn’t change the fact that paying more attention to the friend of the girl you’re seeing than the girl herself is shitty.”

Jongdae slumps back as he reluctantly drinks more soju. “My point is, people are shitty and life is unfair. It’s not an excuse, but more like some morbid, twisted reasoning that has the misfortune of being the truth. Chanyeol and I have been close ever since he and Kyungsoo were dating, and one morning a few years back he came into work and told me the truth: he didn’t know why, but he didn’t love Kyungsoo anymore. He was devastated by it too—he said that nothing had changed and Kyungsoo was still Kyungsoo, but recently Chanyeol had been feeling like he was forcing himself. Like he was repeating the same routine every day, and then suddenly he woke up and realized he wasn’t happy anymore.”

“Still,” Ten comments feebly. Call him naive or idealistic or plain stupid, but he just can’t wrap his head around the idea that it’s that easy. “How does someone even fall out of love? Especially if you love someone as much as you say Chanyeol loved him.”

“Because,” Jongdae muses. “As you get older, you’ll start to realize that the things you wanted at twenty aren’t necessarily the things you want at thirty. I mean, just look at me. I almost auditioned with Baekhyun because for a moment I also wanted to be an idol. I regretted the fact that I hadn’t for years, but now? Singing to my kids means more than singing to millions of people ever could.”

The thought is so beautiful Ten nearly chokes. Jongdae isn’t even that much older than him, but he’s got so much wisdom and experience and thoughtfulness it makes him feel overwhelmed. Johnny’s right when he said that no one has their life figured out, but if someone were to ask Ten whom the ideal adult and role model would be, he’d point to Jongdae without hesitation.

“Aw, shit,” Jongdae curses suddenly, glaring at the cold, dirty grill like it’s personally offended him. Quickly, he calls a waiter over and gets it replaced, then orders more meat.

“It’s not for you,” he explains quickly before Ten can even open his mouth. “I’ve got two kids and a wife at home; you think they’d be happy knowing I got barbecue without them?”

There it is again: Tsundere Jongdae at his finest. Hiding his grin, Ten bobs his head up and down and gestures for Jongdae to continue cooking.

“Oh, I still haven’t finished the story yet,” Jongdae remarks as he turns over a few pieces of steak. “Where was I?”

Ten shrugs, suddenly hungry again as he picks his chopsticks back up and picks at the vegetables on the side. “Something about Chanyeol realizing he fell out of love?”

Jongdae nods. “Ah, yes. So yeah, Chanyeol fell out of love, and because he’s a decent person he told Kyungsoo. It was a bit harsh, sure, but I think it was the right decision. “

“Was Kyungsoo mad? Or sad?”

“Nah,” Jongdae denies. “Definitely not mad. Probably pretty sad, but he hid it well. He suggested to Chanyeol that maybe it was because they’d been together since they were eighteen and at that point they were twenty-nine, so maybe they just needed a break from each other. Maybe if they took some time apart and potentially met new people, they’d have a better idea of what it was they really wanted.”

Ten frowns as he stabs at an especially difficult piece of meat. “That’s kind of bad logic, don’t you think? Like, if your relationship is already falling apart, how would seeing other people make it any better?”

Jongdae grimaces as yet another shot is taken. “Love makes people stupid?” He suggests helpfully. “But yeah, they did that. Kyungsoo went on a couple dates with a guy, but that was never going to be serious. Like I said before, he _loved_ Chanyeol. There was no way he’d ever fall out of love, so he was hoping maybe Chanyeol would realize that their marriage was still worth keeping.”

“Chanyeol, meanwhile, met this girl and he liked her enough to go on a few dates. I don’t think he ever intended for that to get serious, either, but then all hell broke loose.”

_Oh._

“She got pregnant,” Ten whispers in disbelief, not wanting to believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Jongdae responds by pointing finger guns at him. “Bingo!” 

Mildly disturbed by how tipsy Jongdae is, Ten grips his forehead and stares incredulously down at the table. “I think I know where this is going,” he mumbles in shock.

“Oh, yes you do,” Jongdae agrees gravely. “Chanyeol was already a broken man by that point. He told Kyungsoo the truth, expecting that to the end of any relationship whatsoever. But you know what Soo did? He fucking rubbed Chanyeol on the back and told him that it was okay, that they could work things out. He said they could raise the kid together and everything because the mother didn’t want it—Kyungsoo was that in love with Chanyeol that even when his heart was breaking, he still wanted to find a way for them to be together. Even though the chance was slim to none, he still believed that Chanyeol could love him.”

Unconsciously gripping the table, Ten softly asks, “And then what happened?”

Jongdae’s grimace only deepens as he grabs at the soju bottle, only to find it empty. He signals for another, and once he’s poured himself a new shot and downed it, continues. “That was when Chanyeol realized their marriage had to end. Even after he’d fallen out of love, he still loved Kyungsoo enough to know that he’d only hurt Kyungsoo even more by staying together. You know that saying about if you love someone you should let them go? That’s what both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo realized, so they did the right thing in getting a divorce.”

“A few months later, Kyungsoo moved back to Goyang. Then not too long after, Park Jisung was born and Chanyeol found himself as a single, freshly divorced father.”

For what feels like the nth time that evening, Ten’s jaw plummets in shock. “So that’s it? Just like that, they called it quits? So even though the kid wasn’t technically the real cause, he also was? And wait,” he suddenly remembers, “why’re you telling me all this anyway? What’s Baekhyun-hyung got to do with everything?”

“If you were a little more patient or smarter, you’d realize that I’m getting there,” Jongdae sasses. At some point, the waiter had brought over several takeout boxes and now Jongdae carefully organizes the cooked meat into containers. “I think it was around senior year that Baek finally left the agency. Like I said earlier, he wasn’t interested in going to college so he worked as a barista for a while. I introduced him to Kyungsoo around that time, and from the start there was already this weird tension between them. I doubt Kyungsoo ever really noticed, but I could tell that Baekhyun felt… _threatened_ , in a way. Because while he’d been off training, I’d made all these new friends whom he all of a sudden didn’t know. I wouldn’t say he was jealous of Kyungsoo, per se, but he definitely felt intimidated by him. I think the three of us hung out maybe like, two times, but Soo could tell how Baekhyun felt so he decided to be respectful and just give him some space.”

“Then fast forward a few years later, when Chanyeol was promoted to manager. He needed a secretary because the old one had just retired, but he didn’t like any of the candidates he’d interviewed. At the same time, Baekhyun was growing tired of his barista job, so I suggested he try being a secretary. I managed to convince Chanyeol to give him a chance, and they seemed to hit it off pretty quickly. Baek got hired, Chanyeol got a secretary, and everything felt okay.”

“For a bit, at least. Because let me tell you, I’ve never seen anyone love as much as Kyungsoo did, but I’ve also never seen someone fall as hard as Baekhyun has. Literally from the moment Yeol opened his mouth, Baekhyun was a goner. He was so fucking smitten, but then I dropped the bomb that Chanyeol was Kyungsoo’s husband and it was like something in Baek had just broken. Call it his inferiority complex towards Soo or whatever, but he was absolutely crushed. Still, because he’s a respectable person, he did his job well and subdued his feelings as much as he could. I think he knew he didn’t have a chance and accepted that, but then Chanyeol and Kyungsoo got divorced and, well…”

“I wouldn’t say Baek pounced once it happened, because that’s definitely not the truth. If anything, he was even more torn because on one hand the man he’s been pining after for so long was finally single, but it was also wrong of him to be happy when Kyungsoo never did anything bad to him. So Baekhyun decided to keep his feelings secret, accepting defeat and thinking Chanyeol could never like him back. And truthfully, I didn’t think it would ever happen, either. But then they started becoming better friends and, well, shit happened. I don’t know all the details because Baekhyun didn’t want to tell me everything, but I know for a fact that they’ve kissed a few times and Baekhyun’s confessed each time, except Chanyeol keeps avoiding the subject.”

Jongdae wraps his short fingers around his cup. “I’m pretty good friends with Chanyeol. Besides my family, no one else knew about Jisung. It’s not like Chanyeol’s ashamed of him, but it’s just better for him to not get his tumultuous personal life wrapped up with his work life. He also doesn’t say much about his relationship with Baek, but here’s what I think: Chanyeol’s afraid that he’ll fall in love and be happy, but that one day he’ll wake up and fall out of love again. He’s afraid of breaking another heart, so he does the headass thing of pushing his feelings down entirely.”

“I think he likes Baekhyun back. Scratch that—I’m _sure_ he does, but because he’s Park Chanyeol, he’s scared that history will repeat itself. And I guess he has a point, but I also think he’s being a dumbass and needs to grow the fuck up. If he doesn’t want the same shit to happen again then he just needs to try harder. Like I said, people are shitty and sometimes things like that happen, but that shouldn’t discourage him from ever trying again. If he breaks Baekhyun’s heart or if Baekhyun breaks his, then that’s just that; a heart got broken, but then you move on again. That’s how you’re supposed to live.”

With yet another troubled sigh, Jongdae shakes his head in disapproval and mutters, “Sorry for laying that all on you, Ten. I just had to vent, and you seemed like the right person to talk to. Thanks for listening.”

Awkwardly, Ten offers him a salute. Truthfully, he really, really, doesn’t know what the hell he’s supposed to say. In the two years he’s been at the office, he hasn’t put much thought into the lives of his coworkers. Sure he knows Yuta and Seungwan very well and is close to the others in his roughly-same-aged group chat, but even then, does he really know any of them? Hell, he didn’t know Yuta and Sicheng have been secretly dating or whatever this whole time, and sometimes he doubts whether he knows everything about Seungwan or not. To him, there’s always been a line between his work and personal life—thin and tenable, but a line nonetheless. He hadn’t once considered the pasts and struggles of his team members, and only now does he realize that while he’s been going through rough times himself, they’ve also had their own hellish moments, too.

He used to joke or semi-mockingly speculate about Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s relationship all the time, and now he feels like the world’s biggest dickhead. Sure there was no way he could have known the truth before Jongdae told him, but still: He shouldn’t have been so cruel, period.

“Thanks for opening up to me, hyung,” Ten smiles gratefully. He reaches a hand out to place over Jongdae’s, but the latter withdraws his and shoots him a look that says, _Don’t you fucking dare you midget_. Still, Ten will take what he can get when it comes to the number one tsundere in the office.

“You know,” Jongdae remarks, running a hand through his hair in thought. “I see myself as the dad of the office. I’m not even that much older than you all and Baek’s actually older than me by a bit, but sometimes I feel like you’re my kids and I need to watch over you. Like, you’re kind of my overgrown, unwanted children, if that makes any sense.”

Ten wrinkles his nose. “Dude, you do realize that you just called your ex your child? That’s kind of wrong, doncha think?”

Jongdae throws a napkin at him. “How many times do I have to tell you that it was just a few dates—oh my fucking god, you’re so hopeless and I hate you. Forget any mushy thing I just said to you and go fuck yourself.”

Ten just laughs.

“Smartass,” Jongdae grumbles. He checks his watch and stands up, says, “Anyway, it’s getting kind of late. We should get going now.” 

Smoothly, he fishes his keys out of his pocket and tosses them at Ten. “Since you only drank water, you get to be designated driver. Let’s go.”

“Wait,” Ten pauses, an uneasy feeling crawling up his spine. “There’s just one problem.”

“Hmm?” Jongdae tilts his head curiously. “What do you mean, there’s a problem? Ten, I don’t even know how many shots I’ve had tonight. I may seem perfectly sober, but that’s just because I’m good at faking it. Come on, just drive me home and then I’ll pay for your bus ticket or get Sunyoung to drive you back to yours.”

“No, that’s not it,” Ten interrupts. Impishly, he rubs at the back of his head and delicately admits, “I don’t know how.”

Jongdae freezes. For a solid two minutes, he doesn’t move at all, every single muscle in his body stiffened and still. “Do you mean to tell me,” he asks very, very slowly, almost threateningly. “That you don’t know how to drive? And you chose not to tell me this _before_ I drank a shit ton of soju?”

Ten responds with a sheepish grin. “Oops?”

“Go to hell.”

“I probably deserve that.”

 

_Seoul Branch Dimwitted Stupid Idiotic Brainless Dumb as Hell Nincompoops_

_Ten: Hello if anyone is free and has a car could you please pick up me and @Kim Jongdae? We’re stranded at a barbecue place because he’s drunk and I can't drive someone plz help._

_Nakamoto Yuta: Literally what the fuck?_

_Ten: SOMEONE HELP US PLEASE_

_Kim Jongdae: Yes please someone help us I don’t wanna be stuck here all night with Ten of all people_

_Park Sunyoung: This is why I don’t trust you to be in charge of your own life._

_Kim Jongdae: :”(_

_Park Sunyoung: <3_

_Ten: HELLO CAN ANYONE HELP_

_Son Seungwan: Why are you drunk on a Thursday?_

_Ten: Because I just had a heart to heart with hyung._

_Son Seungwan: Why did you just have a heart to heart? Why are you at a barbecue place? I repeat, why the fuck would you drink on a Thursday?_

_Son Seungwan: And anyway I can’t pick you up, sorry._

_Park Sunyoung: Neither can I because someone has the car._

_Kim Jongdae: I’M SORRY OKAY_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Can’t either, sorry. I’m kind of in the middle of something._

_Dong Sicheng: Same._

_Park Sooyoung: I’d help but I’m also kinda buzzed right now so nope._

_Moon Taeil: Apologies, but it would be terribly rude of me to leave my meeting in the middle of it._

_Byun Baekyun: I was just about to go to bed but if you need me I can help!_

_Kim Jongdae: Nahh, it’s okay Baek. You get your beauty sleep._

_Park Chanyeol: I could get you in like, a few hours? Sorry, that’s the best I can do._

_Ten: Omg bless I knew you were the best manager ever_

_Park Chanyeol: :D_

_Park Chanyeol: I’ve got some errands I’m already running, but I should be able to get you in like, two hours? Can you wait that long?_

_Kim Jongdae: Damn, that’s a long time. But yeah, it’s not like we’ve got any other choice._

_Ten: Don’t worry, hyung and I can keep ourselves entertained._

_Park Chanyeol: Hahahahaha I’ll be there ASAP. Don’t kill each other or burn down the building._

_Kim Jongdae: Don’t count on it._

 

“So what should we do now?” Ten pipes up curiously. “I mean, hyung won’t be here for a while. What’re we gonna do?”

Jongdae considers that for a moment, then shrugs and waves for another bottle of soju. “Get shitfaced, I guess,” he suggests, popping off the cap with a spoon.

“I like the sound of that.”

 

_Johnny has to physically unbuckle Ten’s seatbelt and manhandle him in order to get him out of the car. “And now I realize I’ve made a big mistake,” he declares loudly, ushering Ten over to the passenger’s side._

_“Oh excuse me, but who was the one who, approximately half an hour ago, said this would be a good idea? ‘Don’t worry Ten, you’ll be fine,’ he said. ‘Driving’s easy, it’s nothing to worry about!’ He said. Now look who’s booboo the fool!” Ten retorts, secretly glad to not be behind the wheel anymore._

_“I have made a big mistake,” Johnny repeats gravely as he starts the car again. “Dear God, please forgive me for I have sinned. I shall never let Ten, full name something stupidly long, drive again. For the sake of humanity, let him never put a foot on the gas ever again. Amen.”_

_“Is that how praying works?”_

_“How the fuck should I know? Do I look like I go to church? Actually don’t answer that.”_

_“Anyway,” Ten sniffs. Petulantly, he puts his feet on the seat and brings his knees up to chest, watching out the window as Johnny drives along the small road. “Where are we going? Why’d you make me drive in the first place?”_

_Johnny has the goddamn audacity to wink. “Since you have your final in two days, I figured today should be our last day so you can still study tomorrow. But don’t worry, I’ve got a great surprise for you.”_

_“I hate surprises,” Ten argues._

_That’s a lie, but what Johnny doesn’t know won’t kill him._

_“Trust me,” Johnny grins, looking uncharacteristically young and boyish for once. “It’ll be great.”_

_He says no more as he accelerates down the road._

 

“Sooooooo,” Jongdae drawls, lips uncomfortably close to Ten’s ear. At some point over the past few hours, he’s transitioned from his seat across the table to right next to Ten. Super Drunk Jongdae, as it turns out, is super clingy and chummy. He’s got an arm slung over Ten’s shoulder and for the past ten minutes, he’s been resting his head in the crook of Ten’s neck. 

Ten, who hasn’t drunk nearly as much but is a notorious lightweight, nods dreamily. “Yes, hyung?” He slurs, fascinated by a tuft of Jongdae’s hair that keeps sticking up.

Jongdae moves to pour himself another shot, but his hands are too shaky to lift the bottle so he gives up. “What’s going on with you and the new guy?”

“The new guy?” Ten blinks, mind fuzzy and slow. “You mean Mark? Mark Lee? Markly. Markles. Mork.”

“The old new guy,” Jongdae corrects himself. “Y’know. The tall one. The one with the longish hair. Oh! He’s also got the chin!”

Brain still muddled, Ten nods as the puzzle slowly comes together. “Oh, you mean Johnny? What about him?”

Jongdae huffs impatiently. “Don’t play dumb, kid. I know you too well—I’m your dad!”

“Aww,” Ten’s eyes water up as he clutches at Jongdae’s arm. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Dad! I love you!”

“I love you too, son,” Jongdae coos in return. “But what’s going on? You keep staring at each other whenever you think the other’s not looking.”

If that’s not enough to sober Ten up just the slightest, he doesn’t know what is. Stiffening, he carefully asks, “What do you mean?”

“Y’know,” Jongdae waves a hand carelessly, almost knocking over one of many empty soju bottles. “It’s like you keep wanting to talk to each other, but you’re both too afraid. What are you so afraid of?”

_That_ , Ten must admit, is a very good question. And unfortunately, he really doesn’t have an answer.

He doesn’t have to have one, anyway. Because right as he opens his mouth, mind still searching for a plausible response, someone clears their throat.

“Um, are you two okay?” Johnny inquires, stooping down to peer at the two entangled men in concern. 

“Oh!” Jongdae perks up. Without warning, he throws his arms around Johnny’s neck and exclaims, “Look, Tennie! It’s the new guy! The old new guy!”

“Daaaaaaad, stop embarassing me!” Ten whines, dragging Jongdae back down to his seat. Shamelessly, he turns to Johnny and shakes his head, solemnly remarking, “He gets really weird when he's had too much to drink.”

“I’m not weird!” Jongdae protests.

Johnny merely observes them with an expression somewhere between amused and confused as hell. He looks like he can’t decide whether he wants to laugh or ask more questions. Personally, Ten would prefer the first choice—Johnny looks rather nice when he laughs and/or smiles, and he’s too woozy to answer further questions.

“Right,” Johnny says at last. He manages to hoist the two short men to their feet and gingerly leads them towards the door. “You’re lucky I happened to be in the area. I was gonna take the bus home since my friend borrowed my car, but if Jongdae-hyung gives me his keys I can drive his.”

Jongdae fumbles as he pats down his pockets. Finally, he finds his keys and proudly deposits them into Johnny’s waiting hands.

“Hey! What happened to Chanyeol-hyung?” Ten suddenly remembers. He glares up at Johnny and, with suspicion in his voice, demands, “Did you murder him and take his place?”

“What the fu—you know what, I won’t even acknowledge that,” Johnny decides, instinctively supporting Ten as the drunk man stumbles. “Just relax, alright? I promise I’ll get you back home without murdering you or anyone else.”

“Yay!” Ten beams happily.

Johnny rubs at his temples.

 

With only some difficulty, Johnny manages to shove both Jongdae and Ten into the car and head off in the direction of Jongdae’s apartment. “Traffic’s shit right now, so try and get some sleep,” Johnny warns as he pulls out of the parking spot.

Ten doesn’t need to be told that twice, already conked out in the backseat and dreaming of secret children and broken marriages and will-they-won’t-theys.

Suddenly, he’s jolted awake by a hand shaking his shoulder. Startled, Ten jumps and exclaims, “What?” At the top of his lungs.

Cringing at the volume, Johnny offers him a forced smile and says, “I already dropped hyung off at his place; we’re at yours right now. Come on, I’ll walk you in.”

Yawning, Ten nods and sleepily stumbles out of the car. “What a gentleman,” he teases, even throwing in a wink for good measure.

Johnny just laughs. “Wouldn’t want you to trip and ruin that face of yours, considering it’s your only asset,” he shoots back.

“How rude,” Ten sniffs. He nearly stumbles over a step, but luckily Johnny is watching out for him and catches him just in time. “Is that why you liked, me huh? Because of my pretty face?”

The words fall out of his mouth without him even processing them, but he’s too drunk to feel embarrassed or ashamed. Instead, he’s far more concerned with why his key isn’t fitting into the lock, only to realize that he’s holding the key upside down.

“That’s not it,” Johnny says right as Ten successfully unlocks the door. His voice is hushed and barely audible, but Ten still hears him loud and clear anyway. “It’s not—it _wasn’t_ —just because you’re pretty, Ten.”

Ten barely notices Johnny’s slip up. “Hmmm, you’re right. If you only liked pretty faces you would’ve gone for Taeyong instead,” he remarks, unable to hide the smallest trace of bitterness from his voice.

For the past nine years, people have always stared at Taeyong. It’s been that way since they walked side by side on the sidewalks of their university all the way up to when they’d go get coffee together on the weekends as working adults. It’s _always_ been Taeyong. Ten would like to believe he’s not a jealous or petty person and he’s quite happy with the way he looks, but sometimes it’s not fun to always be considered second best, or to have people approach him just to get information on his beautiful best friend.

Johnny doesn’t say anything as he gently guides Ten in the direction of the living room. After he’s got Ten settled down comfortably on the couch, Johnny heads off to the kitchen and comes back with a glass of water, which he directs to the intoxicated man’s lips.

“It’s true that Taeyong’s the one I noticed first,” Johnny admits, tone even and not betraying any real emotion. “I never liked him like that, but it’s hard to keep your eyes off of him. But you were always with him, so I guess that’s why I started looking at you, too.”

He lowers his head until Ten can only see the shadows on his face. “You were always so alive, Ten. The way you moved and danced and spoke—even when you’d show up to practice tired or hungover or stressed or whatever, you were still so bright. Whenever I saw you, you had this kind of air around you that made it seem like you didn’t quite know what you were doing with your life, but you were happy nonetheless. Like you were simply happy and confident with yourself and didn’t care whatever others thought.”

Ruefully, Johnny murmurs, “I wanted to be like you, Ten. I wanted to have that confidence and self-assurance, too.”

It feels as if someone’s just dumped a bucketful of water onto Ten’s head and shoved ice down his clothes. His mind is still fuzzy, but not quite as unclear anymore. He blinks twice, and maybe it’s just his imagination but he thinks Johnny’s staring at him with an unusually tender expression.

“But why didn’t you ever say anything?” Ten whispers, squeezing his eyes shut as the room starts spinning again.

He hears rustling next to him as Johnny stands up. “Because I was stupid,” Johnny replies easily.

Wrinkling his nose, Ten chooses to bury his face into the closest pillow and, voice muffled, says, “Not much has changed.”

“Yeah?” Johnny laughs, melancholy obscuring the sound. “I guess you’re right.”

Distantly, Ten’s aware of a hand touching the top of his head and slightly mussing his hair. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ten. Sleep well,” Johnny’s deep voice rings out.

“Mmm. Good night, don’t let the bed bugs bite,” Ten mumbles, already half-asleep.

Perhaps it’s just his imagination acting up again, but the fingers in his hair seem to linger for just a second longer before reluctantly pulling away.

 

_“Favorite color?”_

_“Black.”_

_“Emo much?”_

_Ten mimes throwing his phone at the driver. “Says the one with the emo haircut!”_

_“Ouch, you hurt me,” Johnny deadpans. “Hmm, what else? Favorite fruit?”_

_“How_ dare _you!”_

_“What?”_

_“I don’t eat fruit,” Ten sniffs contemptuously. “They’re scary and should be held behind bars.”_

_Johnny momentarily glances away from the road to shoot Ten a confused glance. “How are they scary? They’re just food.”_

_“Don’t question me!” Ten retorts, crossing his arms like a petulant child. “If I say they’re scary they’re scary. Got it?”_

_“Understood,” Johnny nods, failing to hide his amused grin. Out of the blue, he remarks, “It’s funny, isn’t it? That we’ve known each other for three years yet we’ve never really spoken to each other until this weekend?”_

_Unconsciously, Ten clenches his hands into fists. “I wonder why,” he mutters dryly._

_When Johnny speaks up again, there’s a note of wistfulness to his voice. “Yeah, I wonder why,” he echoes._

 

By sheer force of willpower he didn’t even know he possessed, Ten manages to haul himself out of bed, into the shower, and even shoves a piece of toast into his mouth as he traipses out the door. Wincing at the sunlight, he curses Yuta for breaking his only pair of sunglasses and trudges towards the subway as he curses Seungwan for only laughing maniacally when he’d called asking for a ride.

“That’s what you get for drinking on a Thursday!” She’d sung, laughing like the devil as she—very rudely, might Ten add—hung up on him.

Funnily enough, the people on the subway keep staring at him strangely. Ten quirks his brows, about to open his mouth and ask what’s so funny when he suddenly remembers the piece of toast still hanging from him mouth. Ah, yes. Now he gets it. Enter Ten, real name Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, public disgrace and overall mess.

This is going to be a _great_ day.

After what feels like an eternity, he reaches the office and just barely manages to slip into the elevator. The only other occupants are Sunyoung and a sunglasses-clad Jongdae, the latter looking just about how Ten feels.

“Morning,” Ten waves feebly, cringing at the sound of his own voice.

“Get fucked,” Jongdae croaks in return.

Sunyoung looks up from her phone to shake her head in disapproval. “You two are idiots,” she declares straightforwardly.

“Oh, we know that,” Jongdae agrees with a grimace.

“I sure hope your heart to heart was successful,” Sunyoung teases. “It was really nice of Johnny to drive you guys home. He even insisted on taking you back and then returning the car to us after. And then he still had to take the bus to get back to his place!”

Ten blinks, completely taken aback. “Wait, he did? Why would he do that?” He demands incredulously, unable to comprehend why Johnny would insist on taking such a complicated route instead of simply dropping Ten off first. Hell, Jongdae’s apartment is even further from the restaurant than Ten’s, so Johnny drove all that extra distance. And for what?

Something glints in Sunyoung’s eyes. She tucks a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and, with a cheeky grin, says, “I don’t know Ten, why on earth would he do that?”

Ten just frowns. “You’re no help at all noona,” he complains.

Sunyoung winks. To her side, Jongdae scoffs and mutters something that sounds like “Oblivious fucks” under his breath, earning him an elbow to the ribs from his wife.

The elevator doors open on the top floor and Jongdae is the first to stride out. “Nobody talk to me today,” he deadpans. “I can’t handle any more stupidity and—oh, _fuck_.”

“Language,” Sunyoung chides, only to also freeze in her tracks and cover her mouth with her hands. “Shit, I completely forgot,” she exclaims in horror.

Ten peeks over her shoulder. “What’s up, noona?” He asks curiously, but the second he sees it he knows exactly what’s wrong.

Hanging over the entrance to the main office is a large, fluorescent green banner. Crudely painted in red are four words that strike fear through Ten’s heart.

_Ho(e) Ho(e) Ho(e), Motherfuckers!_

Jongdae exhales very, very loudly. “One of these days I will kick Kim Doyoung’s ass all the way back down to the tech floor,” he bemoans.

Ten and Sunyoung groan in unison.

 

The same year Ten joined the team, so did Doyoung. Disgruntled with his boring job with his equally boring colleagues on the tech support floor, Doyoung had taken advantage of his friendship with several of the team members and convinced Chanyeol to let him join. Doyoung claimed that he won Chanyeol over with his superior tech skills and expertise, but everyone knows that Doyoung either a) blackmailed or b) threatened Chanyeol to let him join. Whatever happened, it worked and now they’ve been stuck with the menace that is Kim Doyoung for years.

Ever since Doyoung entered the game, things have been nothing short of chaos. That’s not to say things weren’t already chaotic before, but the mere presence of the devilish Doyoung increased it tenfold. The greatest, most scarring example of Doyoung’s aftermath? The new Secret Santa tradition.

Ten doesn’t quite remember Doyoung’s reasoning for the arrangement or how he managed to convince everyone to actually participate, but Secret Santas almost always end horribly badly. Someone always gets mad with the person they have to buy a gift for, and then someone always gets mad with the present they got. And don’t even get Ten started on the disaster that is name swapping—by the time the annual Christmas party rolls around, everyone already knows who everyone else has, anyway. So really, what’s the point of still doing it? If it weren’t for the team-wide fear of Kim Doyoung’s wrath, they would’ve stopped this nonsense ages ago.

But alas, they’re all scared of Doyoung so they end up going with it anyway, even if the results become more chaotic with each passing year.

“Merry Christmas!” Doyoung cheers, donning a Santa hat and fake mustache when the three of them reluctantly enter the office.

“It’s fucking November,” Jongdae points out, not amused in the slightest.

Doyoung shrugs, unaffected. “Well, you still know what time it is!” He announces cheerfully, holding out a jar filled with slips of paper. “Pick a name and find out who your person is!”

“I hate everything about this,” Jongdae grumbles, but he sticks his hand in anyway and snags the first paper his fingers touch. He takes one look at the name, groans, and stalks off to his desk with a dark expression.

“I take it he got a bad one,” Sunyoung sighs as she too picks a name. She, however, appears slightly happier with her result as she walks off to her desk with a slight smile.

Ten glares at Doyoung as he reaches into the jar. “You suck, Dons.”

“Love you too, bitch.”

Ten doesn’t open his slip of paper until he’s comfortably seated at his desk. His head still throbbing, Ten slowly pulls out his files and turns on his desktop, reeling back when white light shines from the screen. For the second time that morning, he curses Nakamoto Yuta for destroying his sunglasses. That bitch never even apologized, explained how the glasses broke, or paid him back, either!

Finally, once he’s got everything set up, Ten sighs and reaches for his slip. He’s just about to open it when he feels a presence over his shoulder. Unamused, he turns to find himself face to face with wide-eyed, innocent Jeno.

“Hi, hyung!” The intern exclaims cheerfully, voice all too loud for his hungover, miserable mentor to bear. “Who’d you get?”

Ten resists the very strong urge to bang his head against his desk. With a fixed smile, he opens his paper and reads the name. “Not who you want to trade for,” Ten responds, hoping that this is the end of the conversation and Jeno can go pester someone else for Jaemin’s name.

Jeno, however, just pouts. “Aww, but I’ve already asked everyone else and no one has his name. I thought you’d have it,” he whines despairingly.

“Sorry kid,” Ten mumbles under his breath, only half paying attention to his intern’s sadness. “Not my fault I picked Sicheng’s name instead. Better luck next time.”

“Wait,” Yuta’s head suddenly pops over the divider. “You got Sicheng’s name?”

Ten hides a smirk. “Yes I did, and no I won’t trade with you, loverboy.”

Without warning, Yuta lunges over and smoothly swaps names with Ten. “Whoops, my hand just slipped,” he croons, happily skipping over to the break room to make himself a coffee.

“Motherfucker,” Ten grunts under his breath. Accepting defeat, he flips over Yuta’s slip to see who he’s stuck with now.

_Na Jaemin._

Jeno’s jaw drops. “But when I asked him he said he didn’t! Yuta-hyung just lied to me!” He wails in betrayal.

Once again, Ten wants nothing more than to bang his head against the table. Maybe if he knocks himself unconscious he can forget all the stupidity happening around him. Better yet, if he hits his head so hard he enters a coma, maybe he can skip to the next life already.

“Take it, Jeno,” Ten says, beyond caring at this point. Besides, he’s not completely cruel—it makes his heart feel all warm and fuzzy when he sees how Jeno’s eyes light up in happiness. “Give him some condoms and maybe then he’ll get the hint.”

“Thanks so much, hyung!” Jeno cheers, giving him a quick hug before dropping a different name on Ten’s desk and scampering back over to his seat.

As naïve as Jeno can be, he really is adorable, Ten thinks to himself. So young and pure and uncorrupted. Ten can’t remember the last time he himself was like that.

Suddenly feeling less groggy and more alive, Ten glances down to see who his third lucky person is.

_Son Seungwan._

Huh. Not bad.

 

_Son Seungwan to Ten_

_Son Seungwan: Dude I’ve just realized something._

_Ten: What’s up?_

_Son Seungwan: So even though Yuta and Sicheng technically aren’t public with their relationship though, it’s safe to assume they’re together, right?_

_Ten: Uh, yeah? Johnny mentioned that he’s seen them together since he first got here, which means for months now._

_Son Seungwan: Okay so let’s assume they’ve been together for like, four months now? That sound about right._

_Ten: I guess. Why?_

_Son Seungwan: Well I was looking through our old bets and I happened upon the one about those two. It’s quite outdated, but let’s just say that there’s a winner. Wanna guess who?_

_Ten: Oh no. How bad is it?_

_Son Seungwan: It’s Doyoung._

_Ten: WHAT_

_Ten: But didn’t he literally say that would never happen?_

_Son Seungwan: Well that’s what he initially said, but then he drew an asterisk next to that and wrote two years in really fine print at the bottom. So, yeah. He won._

_Ten: Fuck._

_Son Seungwan: Yup._

_Ten: Okay how about we don’t tell the evil overlord he won? It’s not like we actually know the exact date Yuta and Sicheng got together anyway, so what’s the rush? Let’s wait until they’re public!_

_Son Seungwan: I’m down for that. I’m not letting Satan win after Secret Santa’s happening again._

_Son Seungwan: By the way, I got your name but I traded it for Sooyoung’s. Sorry :)_

_Ten: What the fuck, that’s fifty shades of cruel. I thought I was your favorite :”(_

_Son Seungwan: :P_

_Ten: But who’d you trade with, anyway? Is it someone good?_

_Son Seungwan: ;P_

 

After what feels like the longest fucking day ever, the clock finally strikes five and Ten breathes a sigh of relief. With a flourish, he flips his binder closed and shuts his computer off. “Later, guys,” he waves tiredly. “See ya Monday. Until then, don’t talk me. Like, at all.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Yuta sasses.

“Why would I ever voluntarily speak to you?” Doyoung points out innocently.

Ten flips them both off. “Go rot in hell, you whores.”

Sunyoung, the only mature one in the cubicles, jabs him in the side. “Be nice to them,” she chastises. “And if you need anything, just call me or Jongdae. You know we’re always here for you!”

Wiping away at his nonexistent tears, Ten remarks, “Wow, thanks Mom! Best parents ever!”

Without another word, he makes a dash for the elevator so he can finally get the fuck out of here. Thank god it’s Friday, really. He doesn’t know how much more of this week he can handle, and it’s about goddamn time he gets a nice, relaxing weekend. Maybe he’ll even call Taeyong, too. He thinks he’s had sufficient time and space to think about their friendship, and ultimately Ten knows that as frustrating as Taeyong has been, at least he acknowledges what he’s done wrong and is making steps to change. No matter what, Taeyong is still his best friend and that much won’t change for a long, long time. Ten thinks it’s about time they talk things out, and he’s more than ready to right now.

He’s so deep in thought he doesn’t even notice the person next to him until he hears a small cough. Caught off guard, Ten jumps and clutches at the walls of the elevator. “Jesus fucking Christ!” He yelps, fingers scrabbling at the marble walls.

Johnny coughs again to shield his laugh. “Thinking hard about something?” He asks politely, raising a brow in curiosity.

Quickly composing himself, Ten nods and subtly smooths down his hair. “You could say that,” he replies. “I’ve had a lot of stuff to process these past few days.”

Johnny’s brow raises even higher. “Yeah? What were you and Jongdae-hyung talking about yesterday, anyway?”

_Oh, nothing. Just the deep and twisted personal life of our beloved manager. Yeah, it was just your average Thursday night barbecue dinner conversation._

“Some deep shit,” Ten answers with a fixed smile that he hopes puts an end to the topic.

Getting the hint, Johnny nods respectfully. “I see. How’s your head feeling? You seemed to be in pain all day.”

_You keep staring at each other whenever you think the other’s not looking. It’s like you keep wanting to talk to each other, but you’re both too afraid. What are you so afraid of?_

“Shut the fuck up, hyung,” Ten hisses under his breath to make the voice go away.

Johnny frowns. “Excuse me?”

Internally, Ten facepalms. “Nothing, sorry. That wasn’t directed towards you,” he apologizes, smile becoming even more fixed.

Johnny pointedly looks around the elevator that, besides them, has no one in it.

“I’m a dumbass, okay?” Ten points out defensively.

“I see that,” Johnny nods slowly.

When the doors open at the lobby, Ten decides to salvage what’s left of his dignity and marches out as fast as he can. But he only manages to take a few steps before the sound of Johnny’s voice stops him.

“Ten!” Johnny calls. “You want a ride home?”

On one hand, Ten’s not quite sure how to approach Johnny after the rather interesting conversation they had last night. On the other, taking the subway sucks and he’s friends with Johnny now, isn’t he? Besides, who is he to turn down the opportunity to gain another personal chauffeur?

“Sure,” he makes up his mind. “Why not?”

 

_Ten wakes up to the sound of the car coming to a sudden stop. “How the fuck did you pass your driver’s test with those braking skills?” He grumbles blearily, stubbornly keeping his eyes shut._

_“Says the one who can’t even drive,” Johnny retorts._

_“Low blow, man. Low blow.”_

_He hears the unbuckling of a seatbelt. “Well, rise and shine. We’re finally here.”_

_“Here? Where’s here?”_

_“Could you stop annoying me for a second and be cooperative?”_

_“Sounds tempting, but nah.”_

_Still, he opens his eyes anyway because he’d be lying if he said he weren’t curious. Johnny’s been driving for hours now, so wherever they are must be far from the cabin. But what could be so important that he’d insist on coming here? Sounds a bit shady, but Ten’s intrigued nonetheless._

_The sight before him causes his breath to catch in his throat. “Oh,” he breathes. “Oh.”_

_Yeah, he definitely doesn't hate surprises_ _._

 

The ride home isn’t particularly eventful, with Johnny occasionally making small talk and Ten replying with short sentences. It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk to the other man, but Ten’s still tired and hungover, and right now all he wants is a nice bubble bath and a glass of wine. But because he’s eternally grateful to Johnny for driving his hungover ass home, Ten tries to be a good sport and keeps the conversation going.

“—and then Yuta tried to give him the chocolates, but he slipped on a banana peel—literally slipped on some goddamn banana peel Taeil-hyung had left on the floor—and faceplants. I felt bad for laughing because obviously Yuta’s pride was hurt, but it was also hilarious because shit like that happened all the time. Every time he’d try and flirt with Sicheng, some disaster would happen and he’d just end up embarrassing himself,” Ten recounts with a light laugh. “And the best part was that Sicheng would usually ignore him no matter what, so everything Yuta had just done would’ve been in vain.”

“Poor Yuta,” Johnny shakes his head sadly. “He really had it tough, didn’t he? But I guess things turned out just fine in the end, anyway.”

Ten goes quiet. “I still can’t believe they’re together,” he murmurs. “It still feels so surreal to me. Like, I never thought Sicheng could like him back. Sure he humors Yuta sometimes, but actually dating him? Never would’ve seen that coming in a million years.”

Johnny hums in thought as he navigates through a busy intersection. “Maybe Sicheng’s just not very good at expressing his feelings?” He suggests.

“Oh, for sure,” Ten concurs. “He’s as tsundere as it gets. But I’m still so surprised anyway. Is it mean for me to say that I expected Yuta to eventually give up and find someone else? Does that make me a bad friend?”

“Not really; it just means you’re realistic,” Johnny shrugs evenly.

Silence fills the car as Ten spends the rest of the ride home thinking about that. Realistic, huh? He wouldn’t exactly call himself a dreamer or that he has his head in the clouds, but Ten also wouldn’t describe himself as completely down to earth and practical. Maybe realistic isn’t the right word, but what about _honest_?

Johnny pulls into an open parking spot on the side of the road. “Here we are,” he announces, jolting Ten out of his thoughts.

“Ah, yes,” Ten nods absently. “Here we are.”

Neither one of them makes a move.

Suddenly, it’s like he’s twenty-one all over again and he’s just gotten into Johnny Seo’s red truck for the first time. If he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, he can feel the eleven piercings he used to wear poking through his ears and the soft material of the baggy shirts he donned back in college. He can smell the leather of the truck’s seats and taste the wind kissing his cheeks as Johnny speeds down the highway with the windows open just a crack. And if he opens his eyes, he’ll see the boy he’s fallen head over heels for—the boy who, to his knowledge, doesn’t love him back.

“Hey,” Ten blurts out, averting his gaze until he’s looking out the window. “Did you mean what you said yesterday? About why you liked me? Is it all true?”

He can feel Johnny’s stare on him, but he forces himself to keep his eyes away.

“I meant it,” Johnny says, the emotion in his voice unreadable. “And it’s true even today.”

Ten’s heart stutters. Unable to resist any longer, he turns to face Johnny with wide, confused eyes. The corners of Johnny’s lips lift just the slightest as he murmurs, “You’re still just as bright now as you were back then.”

_Oh._

Shakily, Ten manages to unbuckle his seatbelt and open the door. “I-I-I see,” he stammers, well aware of the pinkness of his cheeks. “Um, I’ll just get going. Have a good night, hyung.”

“Wait, Ten,” Johnny reaches for his wrist.

Ten startles at the touch. “What?” He yelps in alarm.

Johnny chews on his lip for a second before saying, “Do you want to get dinner sometime?”

Eighteen year old and twenty-one year old Ten screech in delight. Modern day Ten musters a smile and squeaks out a, “Yeah, sure—text me!” before bolting towards his apartment.

 

_The things you wanted at twenty aren’t necessarily the things you want at thirty_ , Jongdae had said.

As far as Ten’s aware though, he hasn’t changed very much.

 

_Byun Baekhyun has started a new chat with Ten!_

_Byun Baekhyun: Hi, Ten…_

_Byun Baekhyun: Sorry to inconvenience you, but I really don’t know who else to message. I’m babysitting Jungwoo and Yerim, but Chanyeol’s about to swing by soon to drop off his kid and I…well it’s complicated._

_Byun Baekhyun: I know you overheard what happened on Thursday night. Jongdae told me about your conversation. Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you—I just need someone to talk to right now, and there’s no one else who knows._

_Byun Baekhyun: So if it’s not too much of a bother, would you mind coming by?_


	8. Jisung has zero respect for short people, Ten falls prey to Seungwan's germs, and the armada arrives

“Jungwoo, wait!” Ten begs, lunging forth with all his might.

The four year old, however, has different plans. He lightly hops to the side and proceeds to run circles in the living room, cackling as maniacally as a child possibly could. Ten, meanwhile, falls face first onto Jongdae’s—admittedly very soft—carpet.

To the side, Baekhyun snickers. “Aren’t you a dancer? All graceful and stuff?” He teases as he easily snatches Jungwoo by the waist and settles the child down on his lap.

Ten nearly flips him off, but because Baekhyun is a nice person and they’re in front of children, he maintains self-control. “ _Used_ to be a dancer,” he corrects grumpily as he drags himself up. “Until I messed my knee up at the end of senior year and decided to call it quits.”

Baekhyun pauses. “Wait, that’s actually pretty sad. Now I feel bad for saying anything.”

“Nah,” Ten waves it off flippantly. He pulls Yerim over and starts messing with her hair. “It was a long time ago and I’m over it. Besides, stuff like that happens. You wouldn’t believe how many times Taeyong and I fucked ourselves over and—oh, _shit,_ ” he clasps a hand over his mouth in horror.

“Smooth,” Baekhyun scowls, but the amusement in his eyes shines through. “What’s Jongdae gonna say once he finds out Uncle Ten has been exposing Jungwoo and Yerim to bad words?”

Ten shudders. “He’d slit my throat.”

Immediately, Baekhyun protectively covers Jungwoo’s ears. “Not in front of the children!”

“I can still hear, ya know!” Jungwoo chimes in very helpfully.

“Once again, kid, you really should hear half the things your dad has said to me,” Ten mutters under his breath.

A small hand tugs at his shirt collar. “What does Daddy say to you?” Yerim innocently asks.

“Nothing you need to worry about!” Baekhyun hastily interrupts. He claps his hands together and loudly exclaims, “I know! Why don’t you bring out the toys you planned to share with Jisungie? He’ll be here soon and you want him to feel welcome, don’t you?”

Like magic, Jungwoo and Yerim bob their heads excitedly and dash off to rummage around their rooms.

“Whew,” Baekhyun exhales, blowing his bangs off his forehead. “I swear they get harder to handle with each passing year.”

“Kids are little shits,” Ten supplies helpfully.

Lazily, Baekhyun swats at his shoulder. “How dare you say that about my godchildren,” he pouts.

Ten opens his mouth to make some smart retort (“ _God_ children? More like _Satan_ children!”) but at that moment, the doorbell rings.

Almost instantly, Baekhyun’s eyes widen in panic as he gulps audibly. Sympathy coursing through his veins, Ten gets up and briskly strides over to answer it, ready to give his dumb manager a piece of his mind. To hell with the fact that maybe Ten hasn’t been particularly kind to Baekhyun over the years and he still barely knows the secretary; when it comes to defending a fellow one-sided love’s honor, Ten will fight to the death!

Well, at least that’s what he tells himself he’ll do. Because once he swings open the door and comes face to face with Park Chanyeol holding an adorable, mochi-faced toddler in his arms, any and all desire to fight melts faster than a popsicle.

“Ohmygodsocute,” Ten—very intelligently, may he add—blurts out.

Chanyeol tilts his head to side in befuddlement. The kid mirrors his actions too, which Ten totally does not coo internally at. Totally not.

“Um, hi, Ten?” Chanyeol greets quizzically. “I thought Baek was babysitting tonight?”

Ten shoots a glance back to the living room, where Baekhyun sits on the floor with his back to them, posture hunched over and small. 

“Oh, I’m backup today!” Ten replies cheerfully—probably _too_ cheerfully, judging by how Chanyeol’s expression becomes more confused by the second. Quickly, he gestures to the kid and adds, “And who’s this cutie?”

Accepting the situation as it is, Chanyeol props the toddler up higher in his arms and says, “This is Jisung. Jisungie, say hi to Uncle Ten, okay?”

Jisung just stares at Ten with judgmental eyes. Which, _ouch_ , but Ten smiles through the pain anyway as he tries to communicate through his eyes. _I’m trying my best here, okay kid? It’s not my fault your dad is a dumbass and keeps pushing away the guy he likes—I’m doing you all a favor, goddammit!_

The kid remains unimpressed. Who knew such precious eyes could hold so much contempt in them.

“Jisungie!” Jungwoo’s voice squeals as the four year old barrels down the hallway, colliding into the back of Ten’s legs and causing the adult’s knees to crumble.

“Ow ow ow—watch where you’re going, Woo!” Ten complains.

Jungwoo ignores him in favor of excitedly jumping up and down. “Jisungie’s here! Jisungie’s here! Jisungie’s here!” He cheers brightly.

Jisung, the little shit, beams at the sight of the other boy.

Chanyeol lets out an amused laugh as he bends down to Jungwoo’s height. “Hey there, Woo. Now you make sure to be a good big brother and take care of Jisungie, hmm? Keep him out of trouble and maybe I’ll give you a little treat. How does that sound?”

“Yes, sir!” Jungwoo salutes with a wide grin on his face.

“How come I’m never treated with that much respect,” Ten grumbles under his breath.

Chanyeol claps him reassuringly on the back. “If you let them know you’re also a kid then they’ll never treat you differently,” he responds sagely.

Ten frowns. “That’s real helpful.”

“Good luck to you!” Chanyeol sticks two thumbs up. He sets Jisung down on the floor and lets his son toddle away after Jungwoo. “Jisung doesn’t have any allergies, but he doesn’t particularly like shrimp so unless you want him to hurl the bowl at the wall—which I wouldn’t suggest because Dae would kill both you and me—I’d avoid that. He does love vegetables though, which I still can’t believe. Oh, and seaweed! He loves that stuff—just don’t give him too much, okay? Too much sodium isn’t good. Ah, there’s also—”

“Hyung,” Ten interrupts the lecture. “I got it. Jongdae-hyung already wrote out a list of what to do when Jisung gets here; we’ll be fine.”

Chanyeol purses his lips and casts a worried glance over to where Jungwoo leads Jisung around by the hand. “I just feel bad for always doing this to him,” he admits shamefully. “It’s always this late meeting or this corporate dinner or this business trip, and I know he understands as much as a sixteen month old can but I still feel bad. It’s like, the second I take my eyes off him he’ll get hurt, you know? Jongdae always tells me that that’s a normal thing for parents to worry about, but I just can’t help it.”

He looks Ten straight in the eye as he says, “And I’m sorry for making Baekhyun do this, too. I’ve been a dick and a half and none of this is fair on him.”

Pity stabs at Ten’s heart, but so does annoyance. He gets where Chanyeol’s coming from. Really, he does. Because Chanyeol has gone through a lot in his personal life and it definitely isn’t easy for him to juggle being a single father and manager of an entire branch and having feelings for someone. Feeling guilty for not always being there for Jisung? That’s normal. But telling Ten how he feels about hurting Baekhyun? That most certainly is not about to slide.

“You know,” Ten remarks coolly as he lifts his chin to meet Chanyeol’s gaze. “Maybe you should be apologizing to Baekhyun and not to me. Ever think about that?”

Chanyeol stiffens.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Ten snorts. Calmly, he starts closing the door. “See you at work, hyung.”

Ten of all people doesn’t have a right to feel protective of Baekhyun, but he can’t help it. Maybe it’s because he sees a bit of himself in Baekhyun—in love with a man who does nothing but push away—and maybe it’s because he feels bad for him. Whatever it is, all Ten knows is that the situation between Baekhyun and Chanyeol is nothing short of unfair.

In the living room, Jungwoo and Yerim excitedly show Jisung an array of stuffed animals and dolls. The sixteen month old doesn’t seem particularly impressed by any of them, but he giggles along with the older children. He takes a few steps forward, stumbles, and lands right in Baekhyun’s lap.

Just like that, Baekhyun jolts back to attention. A wide, somewhat forced grin forms on his lips. “Hi, cutie,” he chirps as he helps Jisung back to his feet. “My name’s Baekhyun, but you can call me Baekkie or Baekhyunnie. What’s your name?”

Jisung’s mouth parts as he stares up at Baekhyun. Dare Ten say it, the kid actually looks like he’s in love. How cute.

Shyly, Jisung ducks his head as he mumbles, “Jisung,” with pink cheeks.

Baekhyun’s smile looks less forced now. “It’s very nice to meet you, Jisungie,” he replies enthusiastically. “I’m good friends with your dad, but I didn’t know he had a cutie like you.”

Suddenly, Baekhyun seems to remember Ten’s presence in the room. He turns Jisung around and explains, “This is Ten. He’s also friends with your dad too, so say hi to him.”

With a bright smile, Ten waves and greets, “Hiya, Jisung!”

Quick as a flash, the blush on Jisung’s cheeks fades as he makes that unimpressed expression again. He points an accusing finger at Ten and solemnly informs Baekhyun: “Short.”

Ten falls to the floor.

“That’s not very nice,” Baekhyun scolds, but he can’t hide the laughter in his voice. 

“I have just been called short by a literal baby,” Ten muses in despair from where he rests on the carpet.

Baekhyun shoots him an apologetic glance. “If it makes you feel better, I’m pretty short myself,” he offers helpfully.

“Yeah, but the kid doesn’t already have a vendetta against you.”

“Well, what can I say? I’m just that lovable,” Baekhyun winks cheekily.

Jisung, deciding he’s rather bored with the conversation, runs off to play with Jungwoo and Yerim. Simultaneously keeping an eye on the children and plotting Park Jisung’s death--is it morally wrong to have a toddler on his hit list?--Ten props himself up and drags himself over to sit by Baekhyun. “How are you holding up anyway, hyung?” He whispers lowly. It’s not like the kids would understand or particularly care, but he feels the need to keeps things low key anyway.

An awkward silence permeates the air, with the only sounds coming from the children. Baekhyun slides his gaze away as he plays with his hands, his lips thinned to a sad line.

“I’m not stupid, you know,” Baekhyun murmurs. He still won’t quite meet Ten’s eyes, instead choosing to fondly watch Jungwoo as the child chases his sister and Jisung around the living room. “I know what people say about me—that I’m pathetic and should just stop having feelings for such an oblivious man. I know how you and Seungwan and Yuta and the others used to make fun of me and wanted to make bets. You only didn’t because Jongdae said not to and not because you actually respected me, hmm?”

The shame washes over Ten like a tidal wave as he forces himself to bow his head down.

Baekhyun’s tone is gentle as he says, “It’s okay, Ten. I’m not angry. I don’t blame you at all, in fact. Because I _was_ pathetic and stupid and should’ve just given up on him, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. At first I told myself that it was just some dumb crush and I’d get over it fast. I thought that since he was already Kyungsoo’s, that was a sign from the heavens telling me I never had a chance. And I didn’t for a second believe I did, so I hoped my feelings would fade after some time.”

“But they didn’t. It was like with each day I spent with Chanyeol, he would grow even brighter than ever.” A tender smile crosses his lips as sighs and muses, “He’s handsome, but that’s not all. You ever get that feeling where you just meet someone and it feels so right? Like you think you were bound to cross paths at some point because it’s so easy to be around them? Like you can be yourself and they won’t judge because they accept you for who you are?”

“I think I get it,” Ten responds slowly. He _knows._ As much as he and Taeyong have had their ups and downs, he’s ultimately so, so grateful that they’ve got each other

Baekhyun appears lost in his own world. “Most people seem to think I just like him because he’s nice, but it’s more than that. I haven’t amounted to much in my life—I’m a failed idol trainee who wasn’t smart enough to go to college. I couldn’t even face Jongdae for so long because there he was, graduating at the top of his class and in a stable relationship and had a new best friend in Kyungsoo. What purpose did I even serve in his life anymore? I was nothing but a failure, so I figured Jongdae was better off without some dumb childhood best friend holding him back.”

“He probably didn’t tell you this because he still feels guilty, but he eventually cornered me one day and demanded to know why I’d been avoiding him. I’m not gonna go into the details because it got real messy real fast, but he ended up storming out after yelling at me to stop pitying myself and get ahold of my life. Jongdae felt bad and apologized later, but he was right. I’d been moping around for too long—yes, it did suck that I’d spent the better part of six years training, but that’s just life. I didn’t even like my job as a barista, but I didn’t know where else to go with my zero credentials. I even considered giving college a shot, and then the best thing that could ever happen happened.”

The pieces start falling together in Ten’s mind. “Is that why Jongdae-hyung suggested you for the secretary position? Because he knew you were looking for a new start?”

Baekhyun nods. “Pretty much. I think it was his way of apologizing, too. Because I sure as hell didn’t know the first thing a secretary did, but Jongdae was determined. He gave me a crash course on everything the old secretary would do and put in some very convincing words to Chanyeol. I saw how serious Dae was about helping and I did want a fresh start, so I was determined to get the job and do well.”

“And then I met Chanyeol and, well, the rest is history. Or I guess it’s not really that simple, but developing a crush on him felt so natural. I don’t how to explain other than being around him feels so nice and easy. Of course I knew he was already married—and to none other than Kyungsoo—so I didn’t dare make a move out of respect for all of us. I told myself I wouldn’t try anything once he got divorced either, but then he surprised me by kissing me first. I’ll spare you the details, but the first time it happened was at last year’s Christmas party and it’s happened a few times since then. But because he’s Chanyeol, he panics and runs away every time.”

Over to the side, Yerim lets out a yelp as she trips over a block. Absently, Baekhyun picks her up and places her in his lap, smoothing down her hair to calm her. “I may be optimistic, but I’m not stupid. I know he likes me back, but that’s not enough. Of course I know that he’s got his own problems and he’s been through a lot, but I’m tired of wearing my heart on my sleeve only for him to push me away again. At some point, maybe it just isn’t meant to be.”

With a sigh, Baekhyun sets Yerim back on her feet and lets her continue chasing the boys around. He sends Ten a strained smile and says, “Sorry if that’s a lot right there. I know we don’t talk much or anything, but since Jongdae already told you most of the story I figured you may as well know the rest. Thanks for listening, Ten.”

It suddenly occurs to Ten that for some reason, he’s now become the token person to vent to. Not that he’s complaining, of course—he’s not exactly great at giving advice because he is, as it as already been established, dumb as hell—but Ten appreciates it when people trust him enough to tell him their problems and worries. 

He clamps a reassuring hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder, startling the other man. “For what it’s worth, hyung, I think you’re super strong. If Chanyeol-hyung’s too much of an idiot to realize what he’s missing out on, then that’s his loss.”

Pink dusts Baekhyun’s cheeks. “Who knew the resident troublemaker could be so sweet?” He teases, but the weight of his tone gives away how touched he is.

Suddenly, the three little demons barrel back into the living room and tackle Baekhyun. “Uncle Baekhyunnie, we’re hungry!” Jungwoo announces, forcefully pulling at his godfather’s arm. He puts on his best pout and puppy eyes and begs, “Please, Uncle Baekhyunnie? Uncle Ten sucks at cooking!”

Beside him, Yerim nods vigorously in agreement.

“I see your dad is already rubbing off on you,” Ten grouses.

Baekhyun chuckles, seemingly unbothered by the mountain of children atop him. “Alright, kiddos. You play with your Uncle Ten and I’ll whip you up something real fast. How does that sound?”

The kids all cheer. With a cute smile, Baekhyun gets up and makes his way over to the kitchen. But before he does, he stops and whirls around to face Ten with a knowing look on his face.

“You know, Ten,” he remarks with a strange glint in his eye. “I know exactly who has your name for Secret Santa.”

Ten blinks. “Oh, you do? Who is it?”

Baekhyun merely winks. “Sorry to disappoint, but it’s not Johnny.”

Without further ado, he skips away to the kitchen whilst whistling a cheerful tune.

_What. The. Actual. Fuck._

Ten turns to the nearest kid, who just so happens to be Jisung. “Am I a joke?” Ten demands.

Jisung, despite being a tiny toddler, manages to send Ten the most withering, contemptuous glower ever. “Short,” he insists.

“Yeah yeah, I’ve been told,” Ten rolls his eyes.

 

_Excited out of his mind, Ten hurls the passenger door open and all but leaps out of the truck. He’s so eager to run out that he forgets how high off of the ground the truck is and promptly stumbles upon landing. His life flashes before his eyes as he fails to regain balance, and right when he thinks this is it and he’s about to eat shit on the dirt, a hand grabs his arm._

_“Careful!” Johnny exclaims, easing Ten back upright. “Jesus, why would a midget like you try to jump out like that?”_

_Ten glares. “Not all of us can be motherfucking giants!” He retorts, slightly miffed that some dumbass giraffe like Johnny had the nerve to insult Ten’s clear height disadvantage._

_“Sorry, I don’t listen to people 170 or below,” Johnny retorts easily._

_How bad would it be for Ten to stomp on Johnny’s foot? Probably not the best idea, considering Johnny needs his feet to drive and he’s the only one who can. It’s not like Ten would mind staying here, but he does have an important Econ final in a couple days so they’ll have to go back to Seoul at some point._

_“Anyway,” Johnny’s in the middle of saying as he lets go of Ten’s arm. “I’m assuming you like the surprise?”_

_Ten spins around to face the sparkling, clear blue lake. “Hell yeah I do,” he grins. “Race you there!”_

_Even though he starts running first, Johnny quickly overtakes him with those unfairly long legs. But jokes on him, because Ten’s the real winner in the end. After all, he gets to watch Johnny strip his shirt off and jump in. What a glorious, glorious sight._

 

For once, Ten finds himself on the receiving end of a projectile as a pencil nails him on the forehead. “Ow, what the hell?” He demands, shooting an accusing glare Yuta’s way.

“Not me, dumbass,” Yuta responds as he continues typing away at his computer.

The next suspect is Doyoung, who also defends his innocence. “I would’ve thrown the stapler!” He argues, seeming absolutely affronted at the idea of only throwing a measly pencil.

That, Ten must admit, is very true. He knows this because he would’ve thrown the stapler, too.

So with three suspects cleared—Jeno is, as per usual, off clowning around somewhere with Jaemin—that leaves only one possible criminal. Ten turns to Sunyoung, who meets his gaze with a simple eyebrow raise and promptly throws another pencil at his face.

Squawking indignantly, Ten tosses both pencils right back at her. “There are better ways to get my attention, you know!”

Sunyoung shrugs. “Yeah, but Seungwan said to try this out. I rather like it.”

The fact that even mature, mom-of-the-office Sunyoung is acting like this can only mean one thing: The world has truly gone to hell.

“What do you want?” Ten grumbles. “I’ve got a few calls to make, so unless you actually have something important to say I’ll be getting to those right now.”

“Oi, that’s not how you talk to your elders!” Sunyoung scolds. “Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for helping Baekhyun look after the kids on Friday. They loved having you around and the kitchen wasn’t burnt down again, so Jongdae’s happy, too. Win-win situation.”

Yuta glances up. “You helped Baekhyun-hyung?” He remarks in surprise.

“It wasn’t a big deal; there were too many kids so he asked for some help, that’s all,” Ten explains, not wanting to reveal too much out of respect for Baekhyun.

“I heard Jisungie was a bit of a devil to you,” Sunyoung laughs. “He usually isn’t like that. I guess you must have left a very deep impression on him, hmm?”

Ten shudders at the memory of the little boy and that scornful look on his mochi face. “I’ve never felt more judged in my life,” he declares grimly.

“Get ready to be judged again soon: Chanyeol’s bringing Jisung to the Christmas party,” Sunyoung warns with a smirk.

“Huh, kids?” Yuta chimes in. “I thought our parties weren’t exactly kid-friendly?”

Sunyoung shrugs as she goes back to her computer. “Yeah, but Jongdae and I can’t find a sitter for that day so we decided to bring Yerim and Jungwoo. Might as well expose them to the crazy now rather than later. Chanyeol thought that since those two are already coming, he might as well bring his little monster too.”

Doyoung wrinkles his nose. “Ew, children. I’d rather not,” he scowls.

“Tough luck, bunny boy,” Ten sticks his tongue out.

“Put that tongue back before I rip it out and feed it to the pigeons.”

“That’s just fucked up, Dons.”

“As fucked up as Yuta’s one day stint as a stripper?” Seungwan’s airy voice joins the conversation as she plops down in Jeno’s seat. Without missing a beat, she snatches Ten’s coffee cup and takes a sip, ignoring Ten’s protests (“Stop spreading germs! And hey, weren’t you just sick?”).

Yuta slams his fist down his desk. “I thought we agreed not to talk about that!”

“True. We also agreed not to talk about your pornstar day but that’s already been done. Might as well expose the rest,” Seungwan shrugs nonchalantly.

“What about that one time he pole-danced at the club?” Ten suddenly remembers, elbowing Seungwan like the immature little kid he is and jeering at Yuta without holding anything back.

Seungwan snorts through another mouthful of coffee. “Or that time he had a threesome but had to call us to pick him up because literally none of them could walk after they were done.”

“Do you ever realize that with all these one-time things Yuta has done, it makes him sound like some dumb slutty bitch even though he’s like, the nicest guy around?” Doyoung muses.

Yuta’s head snaps in Doyoung’s direction. “Did you just call me nice?” He demands incredulously. Actual tears start welling up as he clasps a hand over his chest and cries, “That’s the kindest thing anyone’s ever said to me!”

“You’re not allowed to babysit my kids ever again,” Sunyoung decides with a scandalized look on her face.

“Say, noona,” Ten glances confusedly at the woman next to him. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Seungwan casually finishes off the rest of Ten’s coffee, then unceremoniously slams the mug back down on his desk. “The little interns are off at a meeting with Johnny and I got bored. Funnily enough, it’s not the same when Jeno’s not distracting Jaemin with his flirting.”

“Meeting? What meeting? Jeno didn’t tell me anything about a meeting?” Ten furrows his brow.

“I think it’s just a routine check in. See how they’re feeling, what they think about us, all that jazz. Don’t worry, I highly doubt Jeno will say anything about you—that kid fucking adores you. I don’t know why anyone would, but he really likes having you as his mentor.”

“Aww,” Ten mirrors Yuta’s earlier actions. “I’m so touched.”

Right at that moment, multiple sets of footsteps echo down the hall as Johnny and the three interns arrive at the main office. Mark is chattering about something excitedly to the HR rep while Jeno and Jaemin exchange hushed words, the former’s cheeks flushed pink.

“And that’s my cue to get back to work,” Seungwan sighs reluctantly. She gets up and saunters her way back over to accounting, but not before flicking Ten on the head for good measure. “Make sure you disinfect that mug before you use it again. I’m still a little sick.”

“One day I’ll sue you for all the brain cells you’ve made me lose!” Ten shouts to her retreating figure.

“You say that like you had any to start with!” Seungwan retorts.

Ten spins around in his chair to shoot back at her, but the words leave his lips the moment he sees Seungwan stop in the middle of the office to talk to Mark and Johnny. He can vaguely hear them conversing in English, then laughing over something together. Mark pipes in with something that causes Seungwan to slap his shoulder and Johnny to ruffle his hair as they all laugh even harder. Had Ten not already known them, he would've assumed they were a little family.

_The fuck?_

Ten keeps watching as Mark and Seungwan go back to their desks. Jaemin follows Seungwan while a reluctant Jeno stares longingly after him. Johnny seems to notice this, so he drapes an arm around Jeno and whispers something that makes Jeno’s eyes curl into crescents as he smiles. 

_Again, the fuck?_

The next thing Ten knows, Johnny and Jeno are walking over to the sales desk, with Johnny’s arm still around Jeno’s shoulders. His eyes are probably bugging out of his head right now because _literally what the fuck?_ Since when did Johnny become so close to the others? And to Jeno of all people, too? _Ten’s_ intern?

“Hey,” Johnny greets the salespeople with a friendly wave.

Jeno slips out from under his arm and settles back down in his seat. The others must be blind, because how the fuck aren’t they reacting to what’s just transpired? Ten shoots them all incredulous looks, unable to comprehend their complete calmness.

“How was your weekend? Did you end up meeting with your friends?” Yuta asks.

“Yeah, somehow they got their shit together and actually made it,” Johnny responds. He leans against the cubicle partition as he continues to say, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them, so it was nice to get the old crew back together. Sooyoung was there too since we share a lot of mutual friends.”

“Oh, so you must know Seulgi-ssi and Joohyun-ssi, right?” Sunyoung comments.

Johnny nods. “Two of my closest friends from school.”

_Literally what the fuck?_

Suddenly, Ten realizes that all eyes have fallen on him. Damn, he must’ve thought out loud _again_.

“Indeed you did,” Doyoung confirms with a shit-eating grin.

Automatically, Ten’s hands reach for the stapler.

“Oh yeah,” Sunyoung claps her hands together. “You were also at the same college, right? How come you never told us you knew each other before?”

_Good question_. “It never came up,” Ten replies through gritted teeth.

He’s all too aware of Johnny’s presence hovering over his desk and those eyes boring into him. “Guess it never did,” Johnny hums.

All of a sudden, his face is right up close and Ten can’t quite remember how to breath. Has Johnny always been this handsome? Have his chin and jaw always been so sharp? And is it just Ten, but why the fuck is no one else reacting to this bizarre dream?

He’s so lost in his thoughts he doesn’t even notice what Johnny’s saying until the other man stops speaking and looks at him with an expectant gaze. “Oh, sorry,” Ten rapidly shakes his head. _Get your shit together, dumbass_. “What did you say again?

Johnny tilts his head and says, “How does tomorrow dinner sound?”

_Huh?_

“What?” Ten states blankly.

Johnny patiently awaits his answer.

Seriously, how does no one else find this situation strange? Gulping, Ten musters up his best smile and nods rapidly. “Sure, tomorrow sounds great. I have no plans. I’m a loser with no friends, as Seungwan-noona likes to always remind me.”

“I’m pretty sure she calls you a loser with only one friend,” Johnny corrects with an amused grin.

“Same difference,” Ten mutters.

Johnny finally moves his face away—to Ten’s simultaneous relief and disappoint—and starts walking off. “It’s a date!”

If Ten weren’t currently at work and under the guise of being a functioning adult, mark his words he’d be screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Am I the only one who doesn’t find any of what just happened weird?” Ten demands, glaring at his unbothered coworkers.

Yuta raises a brow. “Why would it be weird? We’ve all hung out with Johnny outside of work before.”

Ten does a double take. “Say what?”

“Yeah,” Sunyoung nods in agreement. “Jongdae and I treated him to barbecue on his first day. We do that to all the new ones.”

“But you didn’t do it for me?” Ten points out.

Sunyoung shoots him a look. “I wonder why,” she drawls.

“Wait,” Ten pauses. “So am I the only one who’s not all buddy-buddy with Johnny?”

Jeno, Yuta, Sunyoung, and Doyoung all exchange glances. “Pretty much,” Jeno supplies helpfully.

“Literally what the fuck,” Ten bleats like a broken record.

 

The next morning, Ten wakes up with a throat drier than the Sahara, watering eyes, and unable to breathe out of his clogged nostrils. Naturally, the first thing he does is grab his phone and call the perpetrator.

“Your germs have taken over my body,” he snaps accusingly the second the other end picks up.

There’s a long pause, then Seungwan’s mildly disturbed voice replies with, “Out of context that sounds kinda messed up.”

Ten sniffles, but his nose remains unfortunately stuffed. “Why would you drink out of my mug when you’re sick, psycho?”

“In my defense I did tell you to disinfect the thing!” She retorts. In a softer voice, she adds, “Okay, I actually do feel bad though. Sorry for getting you sick.”

“Apology not accepted,” Ten huffs. “Unless you bring me cake after work today, that is.”

“You shouldn’t be eating cake when you’re sick, but whatever. We’ll see.”

“Bitch if you don’t at least bring me some chocolate I’ll leak the link to your old Youtube cover channel.”

“So? I’ve always been a fucking great singer.”

“Yeah, but your style sucked. You want everyone to see that bowl cut you had?”

“Fuck you, midget.”

“I’m still taller than you.”

“Keep testing me and I’ll broadcast your TNTTV star days to the entire building.”

“What the fuck that’s such a low blow. I thought we agreed not to talk about that ever again?”

“That’s what you get for messing with me!”

“Well screw you for getting me sick!”

“Stop blaming all your life problems on me!”

“This time it’s actually your fault!”

“…I’m hanging up right now.”

“Yeah, you go do that!”

“No chocolate for you if you keep sassing me!”

“Bye!”

After aggressively hanging up on Seungwan—or, as aggressively as one can hang up on a smartphone—he stalks off to the kitchen to make some tea for his poor, poor throat. He longingly gazes at the stack of wine bottles, but alas; being sick also means being restricted to only soothing beverages, not ones that make him tipsy.

As the kettle finally finishes heating the water and he’s in the middle of shaking out a tea packet, his phone buzzes. With one hand, he enters his passcode while the other haphazardly pours boiling water into a cup.

 

_Kim Jongdae: Heard from Seungwan that you’re sick today. Take the day off and get some rest._

_Kim Jongdae: And I would also like to take this moment to teach you both a lesson. Yes she should not have used your mug, but you should’ve cleaned it before using it again. Don’t you know how easily germs spread? This is on both of you, so suck it up._

_Kim Jongdae: Boom, life lesson of the day. My parenting skills are too strong._

_Ten: Somehow I get the feeling you wouldn’t actually talk to Jungwoo and Yerim like this._

_Kim Jongdae: Children must be seen and not heard._

_Ten: How many times do I have to remind you that you’re only four years older than me. Three and a half, actually._

_Kim Jongdae: Try me again and I’ll ground you._

_Kim Jongdae: Anyway, rest up and come back to work tomorrow. We’ll use today as an opportunity to test out what Jeno’s learned. Although, considering he’s your intern, we’re not expecting too much._

_Ten: Really feeling the love here, Dad._

_Kim Jongdae: That’s my son!_

_Kim Jongdae: If you’re not completely healed by tomorrow I’ll force feed you cod liver oil._

 

Ten is in the middle of furiously typing out some remark about how that’s child abuse, but then his phone buzzes again with another text. Startled, he nearly drops his phone and his fingers jerk violently, accidentally clicking on the new message.

 

_Johnny Seo: Hey, I just heard that you’re taking the day off today because you’re sick. Hope you feel better soon._

_Ten: Oh, thanks. Yeah, I think it’s just a cold so hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow._

_Johnny Seo: Guess we’ll have to take a rain check on that dinner, huh? Or if you’re feeling better later we can still do that._

 

Huh. _Huh._ What an interesting turn of events. Cautiously, Ten takes the time to type very, very, slowly, making sure no character betrays his conflicting emotions.

 

_Ten: Sounds tempting, but I think we should wait until tomorrow or something. Wouldn’t want you getting sick too._

_Johnny Seo: You sure?_

_Ten: Yeah. Tomorrow, then?_

_Johnny Seo: Alright, sounds good. Rest well, Ten._

_Ten: Thanks._

 

Interesting, he thinks as he sips at his hot tea. Very, very interesting.

He spends the rest of his day absently flipping through the pages of a book he’d meant to read ages ago, dozing off to the sound of some drama, and drinking as much water as possible to soothe his throat. In short, he does nothing and the worst part is that try as he might, he still can’t breathe through his nose. Stupid Seungwan and her stupid germs.

Occasionally, he’ll get texts from Yuta updating him on the happenings at the office. Apparently Jeno has gotten his act together and is actually working hard at his desk today—that’s not to say he doesn’t work hard ever, because he really does, but it’s just that for once he’s not off bothering Jaemin. He hasn’t even bothered Jaemin all day, in fact, which is just plain strange. Yuta suggests that maybe there was a rejection involved, but he doesn’t want to speculate too much. Ten makes a mental note to check in with his darling intern tomorrow and make sure that he won’t have to kick Jaemin’s ass or anything. Because he’s more than willing to, but then that means Seungwan will undoubtedly kick his ass in retaliation and she’s, well, scary.

Other things Ten learns are that Sicheng looks especially great today in his red formal shirt (classic Yuta observations), Mark dropped a stapler on his foot and swore super loudly in English (Seungwan slapped him for that), and Johnny discovered Sooyoung’s supply of contraband wine coolers (but instead of being a responsible HR rep, he merely shared one with the customer relations workers). Yuta speaks of the last one so casually too, as if it’s an everyday occurrence and nothing to be surprised about.

It suddenly hits Ten how lonely he feels. Or maybe not exactly lonely, but _disengaged_. He’s known his coworkers for two years now, but how much does he actually know about them? They’re definitely his friends and he loves hanging around them, but all this time they’ve been keeping unspoken boundaries between their work and personal lives. He didn’t know anything about Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol’s past or Yuta’s relationship with Sicheng. Hell, what does he really know about any of them outside of their banter during work hours?

Deep down, a voice reminds him that none of this ever mattered to him until the arrival of a certain Johnny Seo.

Suddenly, he knows what to do. He snatches his phone and immediately enters the first number on his speed dial. 

Maybe it’s understandable that there’s always been a work-personal life divide with his colleagues, but there’s someone else in his life with whom that divide doesn’t exist, and yet they’ve both pushed each other away, too. But not for any longer. Ten will make sure of that much.

The phone only rings once before Taeyong picks up. “Hello? Tennie?” His soft voice exclaims, breathless and relieved.

Ten can’t help but smile. “Hey, Yong. I’ve missed you.”

 

_“You really should’ve told me to like, pack a swimsuit or something. Now I gotta sit in these wet clothes the whole ride back,” Ten laments as he clambers back into the truck._

_“Oops?” Johnny grins sheepishly. “Guess it just slipped my mind. If it makes you feel any better, I’m also soaked.”_

_Ten side eyes him. “I hope your leather seats get fucked.”_

_“Don’t attack my car like that!”_

_They’d spent the entire afternoon swimming and wandering around the lake. Ten doesn’t remember the last time he’d seen such clear, perfect water before, and especially not in Korea. No one else was around since they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere, prompting Ten to ask how Johnny even knew of the place._

_“Discovered it with Hansol and Sehun a few years back,” he’d explained. “We were lost and stumbled upon here, so we figured it would be nice to take a swim. Turns out no one owns the lake, and not many people even know of it. We think of it as our little secret.”_

_“Then why’d you bring me here? Am I just that special?” Ten had joked in return, surprising even himself with how flirty his voice sounded._

_Johnny kept his eyes on the water. “If you say so,” he replied vaguely_

_A wave of fatigue hitting him, Ten closes his eyes and prepares to nap the rest of the side back to the cabin. Tomorrow, he thinks, they’ll head back to the school for finals week, bringing this odd yet beautiful weekend to an end._

_Ten’s not quite sure he wants it to end just yet._

_Suddenly, he realizes that it’s awfully quiet. When he opens his eyes, Johnny hasn’t even put the keys in yet and has his eyes trained on the water, hands gripping the steering wheel uncomfortably tightly._

_“Um, hyung?” Ten speaks up quietly. “Is there something wrong?”_

_Johnny’s grip tightens even more before slacking and slipping off the wheel. “I’m sorry about everything, Ten.”_

_“Huh? Why would you be sorry?” Ten demands, now fully awake. He straightens up in his seat and worriedly stares at the man next to him. “Is everything okay? Come on, talk to me—tell me what’s wrong.”_

_His plea is met with a pained laugh. “No, there’s nothing wrong. It’s just…I feel bad, I guess?”_

_Before Ten can say anything in response, Johnny hurries on to explain, “I mean, we don’t really know each other yet I dragged you out here for the entire weekend. It’s not a big deal for me because I’m a senior, but you’re still a junior and finals are much more important for you so I feel like I’ve screwed with that. I should’ve thought first before asking you to come with me, but I didn’t think at all and now I feel bad for whisking you away when you probably had much more important things to do than hang out with me.”_

_“Hey, don’t be like that,” Ten insists with a forced smile. “I didn’t have to say yes, but I was the one who agreed to come. You didn’t force me or anything—it was all my choice, and I don’t regret that. Hell, it’s not even like I had anything better to do, anyway. I probably would’ve just holed myself up in my room stressing for a final I’m not even that worried about, so it was actually really nice to get away for a bit.”_

_Gently, he adds, “Hyung, why did you even ask me to come, anyway?”_

_Johnny finally meets his gaze. “Because I didn’t want to be lonely.”_

_Ten’s heart quickens. Perhaps it’s because the sun is setting at the perfect angle to wash over Johnny with fading light, or perhaps he’s just a lovesick fool. Whatever it is, he doesn’t think he’s ever been this close to Johnny before—and not just physically, either._

_“I don’t want to be lonely, either,” he says. “Isn’t that a good enough reason?”_

_And then, because Taeyong’s always told him to go big or go home, he leans over to close the distance._

_Their lips have barely brushed when Johnny says something that ruins it all._

 

The thing about Taeyong is that as small and frail as he might look, he’s actually surprisingly resilient. Physically he’s never been the strongest, but he’s always had this specific air of calm reassurance that, for the most part, never wavers. He’s a complete dork of course, but he’s got a good sense of what’s wrong and right. That’s what makes him so easy to talk to—he’ll admit it when he’s been unfair, but he also doesn’t hold grudges or judge others too quickly. 

That’s also why it’s so easy to fall back in tandem with him as they talk over the phone. Ten’s not a fool—he knows that there’s still a certain awkwardness between them considering they haven’t spoken for weeks, but that’s alright. They’re two best friends figuring out how to move on past a brief rift, of course things are bound to be awkward. The only important part is that they’re working things out.

“—and then I called my old boss and asked if the position was still there. She said they haven’t actually hired a new teacher yet and just have some temporary ones for now, but that if I want to come back it wouldn’t be too hard to figure stuff out.”

“Mmhmm,” Ten nods, balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder as he idly examines his nails. “You think you’ll do it?”

Taeyong hesitates for a second. “Honestly? I don’t know yet. I kinda feel like I haven’t actually given Jeonju enough of a chance, so I want to stick things out for another couple of months. Still though, it’s nice to have the backup option if things don’t turn out well.”

“And what does Jaehyun think? I’m sure he’s fine with anything because he’s just that whipped for you.”

“Hyunnie’s been such a sweetheart! He told me that as long as I’m not forcing myself and actually feel happy, it won’t matter if we live separately. Besides, Jeonju’s super close to Seoul so we could always visit each other on weekends, anyway. But enough about me—how have _you_ been doing, Tennie?”

Caught off guard, Ten moves a little too quickly and the phone slips off his shoulder. He hastily picks it up and holds it back up to his ear, says, “Am I that obvious?”

Taeyong clicks his tongue. “Yup. I had a feeling you wouldn’t call unless you really needed someone to talk to—not that I’m complaining, of course! I just know you too well and you sounded kind of frazzled about something when I picked up, so I just want to make sure you’re okay. Is this about Johnny Seo?”

Ten automatically starts gnawing at his lip. “Not exaaaaaactly,” he drags out the word. “I mean, kind of? We’re friends now, I guess, but he’s still as confusing as ever. But that’s not why I called. Let’s just say I found out a lot of stuff about some of my coworkers recently, and suddenly I realized how little I actually know about them. Like, I consider them to be my closest friends, but it turns out there’s a lot I don’t know. It’s not like I feel entitled to know every detail about their personal lives, you know, but more like wow, they’re real people who exist outside the office and have their own shit going on. Makes me think twice about judging people so quickly.”

“Hmm,” Taeyong hums in thought. “I get what you mean. It’s like you’ve always seen them as your work friends, but now you really see them as people, right? And it’s a little overwhelming because now you realize everyone’s got their own problems and secrets?”

“Exactly!” Ten exclaims. “And now I feel bad for not understanding this earlier because shit, I’ve been pretty hard on some of them. I mean, I used to always tell Yuta he had no chance whatsoever with Sicheng, but now they’re dating so I look like a dick and a half for being so mean.”

“Wait, _what?_ Yuta and Sicheng? Since when?” Taeyong cries out in shock.

Ten grins. “Well, they’re not exactly open about the fact that they’re together. Only Seungwan, Johnny, and I know, and that’s because we accidentally caught them together. But they don’t know that Seungwan and I know. I kind of want to confront them about it to find out when they got together, but I also feel like I should give them some space? Maybe they’re not even officially dating yet and are still testing out the waters or something, so that’s why they’re not telling anyone. Or maybe they just want to keep it private. Whatever it is, I’ll let them be for now.”

“Wow, Ten. You’ve really grown up, haven’t you?” Taeyong teases.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ve always been a fucking fantastic adult.”

“Mmhmm.”

Ten opens his mouth to retort, but then the shrill sound of the doorbell rings throughout the apartment.

“Oh, were you expecting someone?” Taeyong asks curiously. “We can always continue this conversation later if you’re busy right now.”

“No, I didn’t know anyone was coming over,” Ten furrows his brow as he gets up and makes his way over to the door. “I think it’s probably Seungwan though. She said she might bring me chocolate after getting me sick. Just give a minute and I’ll—”

The thought dies when he swings open the door to reveal someone who most certainly is not Seungwan.

Slowly, Ten brings the phone back up. “Uh, Yong? I think I’ll call you back later.”

“Why?” Taeyong asks, sounding worried. “Didn’t you say it’s just Seungwan? Is something the matter.”

“Nah,” Ten insists. “Something, uh, just came up. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

Taeyong still doesn’t sound quite convinced, but he goes along with it anyway. “Okay, Tennie. I’ll see you soon!”

Inhaling, Ten puts on a smile as he greets his visitor. “Sorry about that,” he says. “Thanks for, uh, being patient.”

Johnny returns his smile, albeit a bit awkwardly. “No problem. I’m guessing that was Taeyong?”

Ten nods. “So, um, why are you here? Is this about Jeno? Did he do something wrong today? Oh my god, we’re not firing him, are we?”

“Nothing like that,” Johnny reassures, any trace of awkwardness leaving his face. 

Only then does Ten notice the two plastic bags in his hands, which causes his brows to raise all the way up to his hairline. Johnny notices his confusion and sheepishly explains, “I thought I’d stop by and check in on you. Make sure you’re feeling alright and everything so Jongdae-hyung won’t force you to take cod liver oil tomorrow and all that.”

“Uh huh,” Ten eyes the bags skeptically.

Johnny’s smile falters just the slightest. “And I, uh, thought I’d get you dinner, too. Just to make sure you’re eating properly,” he says lamely. “I mean, you can’t go wrong with chicken and beer, right?”

A warm feeling blooms in Ten’s chest as he tries his hardest not to laugh. “I agree, but shouldn’t I be eating something a little healthier? Since I’m, ya know, sick?”

“Oh,” Johnny pauses, dumbstruck. “I didn’t think of that.”

If he were just a little taller, Ten would reach up and pinch Johnny’s cheeks because _holy shit how is a twenty-eight year old man this dumb and cute at the same time?_

Instead, he shrugs and says, “Well, I like to live dangerously. Come on in.”

What’s life without a bit of a thrill?

 

In retrospect, eating fried chicken and drinking cheap beer probably wasn’t the best for his still sore throat. Ten already knows he’ll wake up feeling only marginally better, but whatever. Living dangerously, right?

“So,” he remarks as he picks up a piece of spicy chicken. He’s totally going to regret eating something so spicy, but that’s beyond the point. “What did I miss today? I already heard some stuff from Yuta, but there’s gotta be more. Apparently you found out about Sooyoung’s secret stash?

Johnny snorts behind his beer bottle. “Please, I knew about that a long time ago. You all thought you were being so sneaky but no one could explain the fruity smell. Too obvious.”

Ten eyes him as menacingly as one can through a mouthful of spicy chicken. “Aren’t you supposed to work for HR? Like, the people who are supposed to be super responsible and tell others off for slacking? How can you condone daytime drinking, sir?”

“Please,” Johnny snorts again. “You should see my team at Incheon. If you think you’re hard to handle, just wait until you meet Tiffany Hwang’s cohort. They’re really something else—Minseok-hyung sometimes vapes at his desk and no one even bats an eye.”

“Your other team?” Ten perks up in interest. “What are they like? Besides crazier than us, of course—which, by the way, I still don’t believe.”

Johnny leans his head back against the couch as he thinks. “Well there’s Manager Hwang, but she insists we call her Tiffany because she’s born and raised in the States. Then there’s the aforementioned Minseok. He’s super nice and chill and doesn’t vape that much, but sometimes he says he just needs it. We’ve also got Changmin and Yunho who seem normal on the outside, but they’re actually hyper children even though they’re almost forty. Then we’ve got Yuri, Sooyoung, and Hyoyeon—and trust me, no matter how crazy the Seoul Troublemaking Trio can be, those three make you look tame.”

At first Ten doesn’t believe that’s possible, but judging by the flashes of torment in Johnny’s eyes, he supposes it must be true after all. “So is that why you came to us? To escape the craziness of the Incheon team?” Ten jests.

“Nah,” Johnny shakes his head. The look in his eyes is thoughtful as he contemplates, “I mean yeah, it was a bit overwhelming at times. I think it was also different because they’re all a lot older than me. They were nice to be around, but I like the Seoul team. It’s nice to be with a group of people who are all around my age instead of feeling super young. I feel like I can connect better with the people here because of that, and everyone’s super friendly.”

Ah, that’s right. The very thing that had been bugging Ten since yesterday.

“Not to sound,” Ten searches his mind for the right word, “hostile or anything, but since when did you get so close to the others? I swear just last week you still weren’t talking to anyone besides Chanyeol, and suddenly you’re all buddy buddy with my friends? Since fucking when?”

Johnny snorts. “Excuse me, but I’m an exceptionally nice person,” he drawls sarcastically.

Ten shoots him a skeptical look.

“Okay, okay,” Johnny holds his hands up in surrender. “You’re right, you’re right. Yeah, I didn’t start talking to the others until pretty recently. Sooyoung and I were kind of in each other’s friend circles back in school, so it wasn’t hard to reconnect with her. I guess Seungwan and Mark are easy to relate to because we all come from the West. The others, well, they’re all friendly and pretty funny, so they’re easy to get along with, too.”

“Still,” Ten furrows his brow. “You don’t seem like someone willing to make friends only to leave them in a few months. You even said so yourself, so what changed?”

He tries his best to keep any traces of bitterness out of his voice, but it’s easier said than done.

Johnny examines the beer in his hands before setting it down on the coffee table (“The coaster!” Ten squawks). “Well, that’s all thanks to you, actually,” he replies evenly.

“Huh?” Ten blinks. The piece of chicken he’d been about to bite into slips from his fingers and falls back into the box. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, I just took your advice,” Johnny, the bastard, has the audacity to fucking _wink_ at him. “You’re quite inspiring, actually.”

His mind chooses the perfect moment to go blank. “Advice? What advice?”

“Remember that time we were in the elevator together and you asked if I was going to go to karaoke night?” Johnny reminds gently. He leans his elbows on his knees and says, “I said I just wanted to have a nice, easy time at Seoul, and you told me that the only way to make things easier would be to actually make an effort to interact with the others. In case you couldn’t tell, I’ve always been pretty reclusive outside of my main friend group.”

“You don’t say,” Ten remarks flatly.

Johnny doesn’t pay him any mind as he continues. “So after that, I did a lot of thinking and realized that shit, you were right. What’s the point of shutting myself off from all these nice, hilarious people? One of the first things Jongdae-hyung told me was to just lean in and enjoy myself as a part of the team, and you reminded me that I had to do just that. So I leaned in and started opening up a bit more.”

Ten’s not sure if his head is spinning at the revelation or from his cursed status as a lightweight. “So you’ve been friends with the others for months now? How did I not notice any of this?”

“This might sound mean, but maybe it’s because you were too busy moping all this time?” Johnny suggests.

Ouch. Ten would be lying if he said that one didn’t hurt a little, but now that he thinks of it, Johnny’s right. All he’s done since the other man arrived was mope and sulk and throw himself pity parties. Maybe the real reason why he barely knows anything about his coworkers’ lives is because he’s been too egocentric and thought only about himself and how he feels. Perhaps that’s the real problem.

“I gotta say,” Ten declares out of the blue. “Things have really changed ever since you got here, hyung.”

“Yeah?” Johnny’s not looking his way, instead choosing to observe his half-finished beer bottle on the table. “For better or for worse?”

Ten bites down into his chicken to hide his smile. “You figure it out yourself,” he winks.

Johnny's smile is wide and genuine, and damn if that weren't a sight.

 

In true dramatic fashion, Seungwan falls to her knees and clutches at Ten’s shoes. “Oh dear friend of mine, please forgive me for making you sick. I offer you this chocolate as a sign of my grief.”

“Have some dignity, noona,” Ten retorts, absolutely scandalized. “But yes, I’ll take that chocolate, thank you very much.”

In a flash, Seungwan jumps back to her feet and that mischievous, devilish grin is back on her face. “Oops, it’s already gone!” She sings, dropping an empty wrapper on his lap and scampering back to her desk with an evil cackle.

Ten turns to Yuta in bewilderment. “Is it just me, or is she getting weirder with each day?”

“Oh, for sure,” Yuta nods grimly, donning a mildly disturbed expression. “Maybe it’s because she’ll be thirty in a few months? Is she already going through a midlife crisis?”

“I’d go through a midlife crisis too if I hung out with you two all the time,” Sunyoung points out wisely.

“Touché,” Ten concedes.

With that, he gets back to work, ready to catch up on everything he’d missed from yesterday. He’s in the middle of reviewing Jeno’s work when he feels his phone buzz in his pocket.

 

_Kim Jongdae: The time has come._

_Ten: Wha?_

_Kim Jongdae: The armada has arrived._

_Ten: Whaaa_

_Kim Jongdae: I repeat, the armada has arrived._

_Kim Jongdae: Landing in three…_

_Ten: What armada_

_Kim Jongdae: Two…_

_Ten: Hyung you’re not making any sense_

_Kim Jongdae: One…_

_Ten: Literally what the fuck hyung_

_Kim Jongdae: Turn around and see for yourself_

 

Bewildered, Ten swivels around in his chair and the sight before him nearly gives him a heart attack.

A short man with wide eyes and heart-shaped lips walks through the archway to the main office. His hair has grown a little longer since the last time Ten saw him and his expression is awfully grave, but Ten knows exactly who it is.

Do Kyungsoo.

Calmly, Kyungsoo strides through the office without a care in the world. One by one, the other workers notice him and all stare with slackened jaws, identical faces of shock mirrored all across the room. Johnny and the interns stare on quizzically, rightfully confused since they’ve never seen Kyungsoo before. Only Jongdae seems unfazed as he casually waves at his friend before going back to talking to Mark.

All eyes are on Kyungsoo as the man makes his way over to the private office. He stops in front of Baekhyun’s desk, which causes the secretary to stiffen and swallow nervously, eyes wide with anxiety.

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo greets, a pleasant smile on his lips.

“Hi, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun squeaks in return, looking as if he’d like nothing more than for the floor to swallow him up right about now.

Just then, the door to Chanyeol’s office swings open. The manager steps out withan empty mug in hand, about to head to the break room to refill it.

The mug slips out of his fingers and crashes to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Kyungsoo retains his smile. “Hello, Chanyeol,” he says softly.

Eyes wide and face ashen, Chanyeol takes a few steps back in fear. “O-o-o-oh, Soo! Wh-What’re you doing?” He laughs shakily.

His ex-husband merely stares up at him with mild eyes. “The three of us need to talk,” Kyungsoo states plainly.

Chanyeol’s brow shoots up. “The three of us?” He echoes.

Kyungsoo jabs his thumb in Baekhyun’s direction, causing the latter to jump. “Yes,” Kyungsoo confirms.

Both manager and secretary look less than thrilled at the prospect. Kyungsoo lets out a sigh and, with a light tap to Chanyeol’s chest, walks past him into the office. “It’s for your own good, trust me,” he calls over his shoulder.

Without any other choice, Chanyeol and Baekhyun follow him inside, the door closing behind them with a resounding thud.

“Ho. Ly. Shit,” Yuta whistles lowly. “What the fuck just happened?”

Jongdae proudly crosses his arms and lifts his chin. “Let’s just say that you and Ten aren’t the biggest idiots in this office after all,” he states.

“Now back to work or else no paychecks.”

 

_“I’m leaving after graduation.”_

_It takes a moment for the weight of the words to settle in, but once they do, Ten reels back like he’s been hit. “Leaving? As in…leaving?” He stammers._

_Johnny casts his gaze down. “As in back to America.”_

_“Ah,” Ten nods, cursing the flushed nature of his cheeks. “Ah. I see.”_

_The ride back to the cabin is dead silent. Ten slips into his room without a word, not wanting to face Johnny now or ever again._

_He knew it all along: chasing after Johnny was never going to end well. But even though he expected the rejection, that doesn’t make the subsequent heartbreak hurt any less._


	9. Jaehyun's a serial killer, Johnny puts his foot in his mouth, and the interns have a secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Increased the chapter count again because I have no self control.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Yuta whispers conspiratorially.

“Isn’t it obvious? Kyungsoo-ssi is probably kicking their asses right now,” Doyoung points out wisely. “In a few seconds, we’ll probably hear some screaming or something.”

Sure enough, moments after the words leave Doyoung’s mouth, a yelp is heard from the manager’s office. Funnily enough, the pitch of the voice is definitely too deep to belong to Baekhyun.

Smugly, Doyoung cocks a brow. “See? I bet he just smacked Chanyeol-hyung into oblivion.”

Sunyoung rolls her eyes. “I should smack you for your nerve,” she shakes her head disapprovingly. “Besides, you don’t know Kyungsoo nearly as well as I do. He’d never resort to physical violence beyond pulling Chanyeol-oppa’s ear. He doesn’t exactly yell, either, but…”

“But what?” Ten leans forward in interest. He’s only seen Kyungsoo a handful of times and never spoke to him, but after everything he’s heard from Jongdae and Baekhyun, Ten is more than intrigued.

“Hmm,” Sunyoung taps at her chin in thought. “Well, like I said, Kyungsoo’s not a violent person by any means. He’s also not particularly loud either unless he’s with people he’s very comfortable with. But since we aren’t hearing any actual yelling, I’d say he’s giving them the classic Kyungsoo Treatment.”

Ten exchanges confused glances with Yuta. “That’s really not explaining anything, noona. The fuck is the Kyungsoo Treatment?”

A stack of papers thwacks the back of his head as the one and only Kim Jongdae enters the scene. “The Kyungsoo Treatment,” he begins with a long, dramatic sigh, “is when Do Kyungsoo is so, so, _so_ very disappointed in you and gives you a piece of his mind. Except he never yells—he pretty much fucking _whispers_ and stares at you with those big eyes that are both cute and terrifying. It’s like you stare into them and see nothing but the pits of hell.”

Doyoung frowns. “Surely it can’t be that bad. The dude’s like, super short.”

“Tall people,” Jongdae sniffs, glaring at the moderately tall Doyoung with a peeved expression. “You all think you’re so tough just because you breathe air at a higher altitude? Think again, dumbass. There’s a reason why we’re so short: our capability to kill is so high that we had to be vertically challenged in order to lower the homicide rates. Short people are closer to hell, as I always like to say.”

Ten nods rapidly in agreement. Finally, someone defends the short struggle (even though it’s Jongdae who always calls Ten a midget despite being only a couple inches taller, but whatever).

Jeno’s eyes widen in alarm. “Is that guy actually about to kill Chanyeol-hyung and Baekhyun-hyung?” He asks in horror.

“Ah, such innocence,” the assistant manager tsks as he patronizingly ruffles Jeno’s hair. “Kid, _that guy_ is Chanyeol’s ex-husband. And if things go as planned, then no they will not die, but they’ll come pretty damn close. They may just escape with a few more brain cells, but that’s wishful thinking.”

“What Jongdae means,” Sunyoung interjects in a considerably kinder tone, “is that Kyungsoo is here to talk some sense into Chanyeol and get him to finally confront his feelings for Baekhyun. Because if there’s anyone Chanyeol still listens to, it’s Kyungsoo.”

Jeno looks no less confused than before. “Wait, so you’re using his ex-husband to get him to confess to another person? Sounds complicated.” He frowns, young and uncorrupted mind befuddled by the thought.

“Oh, you don’t even know the half of it,” Jongdae responds with a grimace.

Internally, Ten shudders and prays for the best for the two victims. But in all honesty, he kind of hopes Chanyeol gets his ass kicked just enough for it to sting. Him and that little devil of his.

For the next hour, he’s so absorbed in his work that he manages to completely catch up from everything he’d missed the day before and even gets a decent amount done for the current day. He still needs to call a few clients, but otherwise he’s been doing pretty well. A shockingly productive day, but he’s not one to complain.

It’s only when he’s leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms out does it hit him: at no point during the morning has Jeno left his side. Usually his darling intern would’ve drifted off to accounting at least three times by noon, but today he’s been diligently typing away at his computer. Ten observes him for a few minutes and is shocked to discover that Jeno’s eyes never even wander to Jaemin.

What, Ten wonders, could possibly be wrong? The first thought that comes to mind is that Jeno must have made a bold move and got rejected, or maybe Jaemin actually does have a boyfriend this time. Quickly, he sneaks a glance over to the accounting intern and checks his neck for any suspicious dark marks, but surprisingly there’s nothing. But maybe Jaemin’s covered up any hickeys, or maybe his boyfriend/lover/whatever just doesn’t mark him up? 

“Hey,” Ten leans over and elbows Jeno in the side. “Everything good with you?”

Jeno peers up with innocent eyes, mouth parted in surprise. “Huh? Yeah, I’m all good. Why?” He questions in confusion.

Ten ponders over the best, most sensitive way to word his thoughts. “You haven’t been like… _fighting_ with anyone, have you?”

“What?” Jeno blinks, more puzzled than ever. “Why would I fight with anyone?”

This may be tougher than Ten initially thought. Damn his precious intern and that adorable purity. “I mean, you aren’t sad about anything? Or feeling upset at all?” He tries again, hoping that maybe if he’s as vague as possible Jeno will spill something.

Jeno scrunches his eyebrows together. “Um, no? I’m not sad about anything. Hyung, are _you_ okay?”

_Good question, kid_. “I guess I’m just imagining things,” Ten replies weakly, admitting defeat. “Just…if anything bad ever happens or someone makes you feel upset, you tell me first okay, kid? I’ll beat him—ahem, _them_ —up for you on the spot.”

“Don’t be silly, hyung,” Jeno smiles, his eyes forming cute crescents. “I’d tell Jongdae-hyung first because you couldn’t beat anyone up if your life depended on it.”

Ten opens his mouth, thinks over Jeno’s statement, then screws his jaw shut. “Fair enough,” he grudgingly admits. 

Still. He makes a mental note to watch Na Jaemin’s every move. If that boy dares hurt Jeno’s feelings, Ten will not hesitate to fight him (he’d probably lose, but that’s not what’s important).

At that moment, the door to Chanyeol’s private office slams open and the main office immediately falls silent. Do Kyungsoo is the first to exit with his chin lifted and expression neutral, followed by a sheepish looking Baekhyun and an even more sheepish looking Chanyeol. Ten had almost forgotten that Kyungsoo was still there—what could they have possibly talked about for two hours?—and now, seeing the three of them stand before the team, he feels on edge and worried.

Kyungsoo clears his throat—he’s not particularly loud, but everyone clings to the sound anyway. “Everyone,” he announces in his smooth, calming voice. “My work here is done.”

Jongdae whoops. “I knew I could count on you, Soo!” He cheers loudly, bright voice a stark contrast to Kyungsoo’s serene tone. 

With a light laugh, Kyungsoo walks over to Jongdae and pinches his ear. “You owe me big time, Dae. Next time I’m in town you’re buying me meat.”

“Deal!” Jongdae grins, not seeming to mind or care about his ear.

Kyungsoo releases him with a fond smile. “Keep me posted about these idiots,” he says, gesturing to the awkward Chanyeol and Baekhyun. “And if you ever need me to kick their asses again, I’ll hop on the next train.”

And then, just like that, Do Kyungsoo turns on his heel and marches out of the office.

Seungwan is the first to break the silence. “What the fuck was that?” She demands, brows knitted together in bewilderment.

“That,” Jongdae replies with a smug grin. “Is what I call saving two idiots from dying alone.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol both duck their heads, but not fast enough for Ten to miss the matching blushes on their cheeks. Somehow, he has a feeling things will turn out all right in the end.

 

A spoon prods him in the waist, causing the very ticklish Ten to jerk and nearly drop his lunch. Annoyed, he whirls around and snaps, “The fuck was that for, Nakamoto— _oh_.” 

Johnny waves, the spoon still perched between his fingers. “So, you gonna fill me in on the tea or what?”

As it so often happens around Johnny Seo, Ten’s mind goes blank. “What tea? Thai iced?” He responds lamely, cringing at his horrible attempt at a joke.

Surprisingly, Johnny snorts. “Good one,” he grins (which only proves that his sense of humor is horrible and he’s nothing but a big nerd because really? _Really_?). “But that’s not what I meant. Who was the guy here earlier? Kyungsoo or something?”

“Ah,” Ten nods, still in a slight daze. He busies himself with placing his lunch in the microwave and waits until the machine starts running before he speaks again. “That was Chanyeol-hyung’s ex-husband. It’s not really my place to tell, but basically they got divorced last year and I guess Kyungsoo’s the only one who can knock some sense into him?”

Johnny’s eyes bore into his. “About Baekhyun?”

“Wow, how did you guess?” Ten confirms dryly. “But like I said, it’s not my place to say so let’s leave it at that.”

Humming, Johnny leans against the counter and uses his spoon to stir his pitch black coffee—who the fuck even stirs coffee when they haven’t added anything to it? Psychos, that’s who.

“So, are you feeling better?” Johnny asks as he raises his cup to his lips.

The microwave beeps. Ten nods as he pulls his food out and heads to the nearest table, says, “Yeah, much better. Even though a certain someone thought it would be a good idea to give a sick person chicken and beer.”

Johnny takes the seat across from him. “Hey, you didn’t have to eat it but you did anyway!” He points out accusingly, a teasing smile on his lips.

“If you think I’m about to turn down free chicken just because I’m sick then you can think again!” Ten retorts childishly.

“Free, huh? Funny, because I was gonna ask you to pay me back, actually.”

“The fuck? You can’t just do that to a sick person!”

“Well you’re not sick anymore!”

“But I was sick yesterday when you brought the chicken, so that means you can’t make me pay!”

“Doesn’t matter,” Johnny waves dismissively, that smile still on his face. “You still owe me. I didn’t have to check up on you but I did anyway; therefore, you owe me.”

Ten glares, aggressively shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth. “Have you always been this annoying?” He demands petulantly. 

“Me, annoying?” Johnny gasps, clutching at his chest as if personally offended. “Never!”

“College me must have been blind for ever liking you, you big nerd,” Ten grumbles under his breath. Realizing too late what he’d just said, he immediately ducks his head and gulps down another mouthful of rice. _Foot in the mouth syndrome once again._

Johnny’s booming laugh fills the room. “I peaked in college, thank you very much,” he sniffs. “I mean, did you see those purple pants I used to wear? Iconic.”

Ten nearly chokes. Yes, he remembers Johnny’s hideous purple pants, but was that a memory he needed to bring back? No. 

Johnny’s grin is positively shit-eating as he notices Ten’s war flashbacks. “Or how about that red jumpsuit? Or the giant fanny pack for that one performance? Or the time Taemin-hyung made me wear a kilt? Or—”

“Hyung,” Ten deadpans, mustering up his most unimpressed stare. “If you don’t shut up I’ll claw my eyes out.”

“—that time I grew my hair out and dyed it red!” Johnny finishes triumphantly.

Groaning, Ten forces himself to chomp down on more food to prevent himself from screaming. “The problem is that no matter how uncool you _looked_ in college, you were still way cooler than me,” he grouses. “Literally the only cool thing about me was being Taeyong’s best friend.”

Johnny shoots him a quizzical look. “What are you talking about? Everyone knew you as the dancing prodigy—Taemin’s second coming, we used to say. And we all know that Taemin’s cool, so of course you were cool by default.”

“What,” Ten’s jaw drops in shock, and if some rice grains fall out then that’s gross but obviously that didn’t just happen. “Me, _cool?_ I had like, two friends and they were Taeyong and Jaehyun. How’s that cool?”

“Okay, so maybe you weren’t actually cool after all,” Johnny muses. Which, that doesn’t really make Ten feel any better, but it does put a smile on his face nonetheless. But maybe that’s just because it’s Johnny saying it. 

“On the bright side though, you never went around wearing purple pants so I think that’s good enough,” he jokes lightheartedly.

Suppressing a groan, Ten threateningly holds up his spoon and points it at Johnny. “Don’t make me beat you to death with this,” he warns.

“Like you could anyway!” Johnny quips in return.

Right as Ten moves to commit bodily harm with his spoon, he’s distracted by the sound of cheerful whistling. Na Jaemin skips on in with his usual bright smile, not a care in the world as he grabs his lunch from the fridge and plops down at an empty table.

Ten narrows his eyes as he observe the unsuspecting intern. Jaemin’s always been energetic and had a cute and infectious yet still chill personality, but this all feels rather suspicious. Why is he smiling down at his phone like that? Why is he suddenly giggling? In fact, now that their tables are considerably closer than their desks in the main office are, Ten swears he sees a faint yet still noticeably dark mark on Jaemin’s neck…

“Oh my god!” He gasps, dropping his spoon in shock.

Johnny arches a single brow as he finishes off the rest of his coffee. “What? Why are you glaring at Jaemin?” He whispers loudly, watching Ten with even more confusion than usual.

Thankfully, Jaemin didn’t notice Ten’s outburst or Johnny’s godawful attempt at being subtle. He’s still lost in his own world as he smiles down at his phone, but Ten is not about to risk getting caught.

“Hey, hyung?” Ten hisses, beckoning for Johnny to come closer.

By this point Johnny must have just grown numb to Ten’s dumb antics, because he leans over without a word or any raised eyebrows.

Dead serious, Ten murmurs, “If I murder a certain intern in the next twenty-four hours, then you’re bailing me out of jail.”

“Um,” Johnny hesitates, then nods slowly. “Um, I’m not sure if that’s how it works, but okay? I guess I can scrounge together the money.”

“Attaboy,” Ten grins, slapping Johnny on the arm a few times in a bold move that surprises even himself.

_I’m watching you, Na Jaemin_ , he thinks privately to himself, aiming his coldest, most bitter stare at the cute intern—who, by the way, remains completely oblivious as he types away at his phone at the speed of the light with that stupidly big and adorable smile on his face.

A prod to his shoulder breaks him out of his murderous thoughts. “Hey, is it okay if I stop by your place after work? I think I left my phone charger yesterday,” Johnny remarks carefully, suddenly unable to make eye contact.

Ten blinks. “Your phone charger?” He replies dumbly. Somehow, he can’t remember Johnny ever using a phone charger yesterday.

“Uhhh, yeah,” Johnny insists, awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck as he keeps his gaze down on the table. “I kind of need it, sooo…”

“Oh, of course,” Ten agrees, still the slightest bit suspicious. With a teasing grin, he adds, “But only if you give me a ride.”

 

( _Nana to Acorn_

_Nana: Um, why is Ten-hyung glaring at me so much today? Did I do something wrong?_

_Acorn: Who knows, he’s weird like that sometimes._

_Nana: Hmmm true._

_Nana: Ohhhhh also~! They’re leaving now and I packed extra for lunch, so wanna share?_

_Acorn: On my way!!!_ )

  
****

“Sorry, this place is a bit messy because I was sick and miserable yesterday,” Ten apologizes in advance as he unlocks the door. “I think your charger should probably be somewhere in the living room, so just give me a sec and—”

He’s stunned into silence when Johnny suddenly clamps a hand down on his arm. Not that Ten’s complaining of course, but the gesture is so sudden. The taller man’s face is unusually pale and nervous as he whispers, “Ten, who’s that?”

Dread pools in Ten’s stomach. “What do you mean?” He demands in a low voice, eyes following Johnny’s gaze.

What he sees nearly gives him a heart attack. Because he is quite sure he turned off all the lights this morning, yet a single lamp in the living room is on. He’s also quite sure that he lives alone and has been living alone for the past five years, but for some reason there’s a shock of black hair poking up over the back of his couch and _frick_ , he’s about to die, isn’t he? He’s about to die and he’s dragging Johnny with him—or maybe he can use Johnny’s much larger body as a shield and make a run for it. He’ll be sacrificing his crush, sure, but some things aren’t as important as his life.

Instinctively, he grasps Johnny’s elbow, whispers, “Hyung, I’m so sorry for everything,” and prepares to book it out of there when suddenly, the figure on the couch turns around.

“Oh, hey Ten-hyung,” a pair of deep-set dimples flash at him. “I was wondering when you’d get back.”

Ten’s jaw drops in disbelief. “ _Jaehyun_?”

Jung fucking Jaehyun has the nerve to wave. “That’s me!” He agrees cheerfully.

Johnny’s eyes flit back and forth from the man clinging on his arm to the stranger on the couch. “So I’m assuming he’s not a serial killer?”

“Wait,” Ten holds a hand up. “If you’re here, then that means…”

He doesn’t have time to finish that thought as a pair of hands clamp down over his eyes. “Guess who!” A light voice exclaims.

Ten rips the hands off and whirls around to find himself face to face with none other than his stupid best friend. “Taeyong!” He shrieks happily, wasting no time in throwing his arms around the skinny man and shaking him as hard as he can. “Oh my god, what are you doing here? _How_ are you here?”

“We drove up, silly,” Taeyong laughs. His eyes are as bright and doe-like as ever as he returns Ten’s fierce hug, cutely giggling at his friend’s rambling. “Thought it would be nice to surprise you since it’s been a while.”

“Surprise, huh?” Ten rolls his eyes. “Y’all scared the shit out of me. I thought Jaehyun was here to kill me!”

“Oops,” Taeyong sticks his tongue out with no remorse.

Only then do his eyes fall on Ten’s companion—Ten’s companion whose elbow he’s still gripping, to be exact. Face flushed, Ten releases Johnny and hastily says, “Remember this guy, Yongie?”

Taeyong’s face lights up in both recognition and amazement. “Johnny!” He exclaims in a high pitched voice. 

Johnny laughs, albeit a bit awkwardly. “It’s nice to see you again, Taeyong-ssi,” he greets in return, holding out a hand.

“Wow, I can’t believe it,” Taeyong remarks dazedly, shooting a questioning glance at Ten. He clasps Johnny’s hand in his much smaller one and shakes it, says, “It’s been what, six years? No offense, but I never thought I’d see you again.”

“Don’t be rude!” Ten hisses, whacking Taeyong on the shoulder for good measure.

“Wow, I feel so forgotten,” Jaehyun’s deep voice comments as its owner strides up to join the conversation. He looks a little more tired than the last time Ten saw him, but otherwise Jaehyun is practically glowing like always. Damn him and his perfectly smooth milky white skin and lush black hair.

“Oh, this is Johnny—Johnny, meet my fiancé Jaehyun,” Taeyong introduces. “Johnny was the dance captain before me, so that was also before you joined the team. He works at the same office as Ten now, though!”

Jaehyun’s eyes flash in recognition, then narrow slightly in mischief. And now Ten’s officially afraid, because while Jaehyun may be the nicest, most genuine guy ever, he’s also got a devious streak and specializes in teasing a certain Thai man.

“Ahhhh yes, the famous Johnny,” Jaehyun smiles in greeting (“That’s Johnny- _hyung_ to you!” Taeyong scolds). “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard plenty from these two over the years.”

Johnny returns Jaehyun’s smile with his own amused one. “Yeah? I bet they shit-talked me all the time, huh?”

“Why must you think so lowly of me?” Ten complains to no one in particular.

“Nah,” Jaehyun shakes his head, that stupid mischievous grin still on his lips. “But if you really want to know, they said—”

Taeyong loudly claps his hands together. “Anyway! Jaehyunnie and I planned on surprising Ten and then dragging him out to dinner. Would you like to join, Johnny-ssi?”

Ten’s eyes bug out of his head. _The fuck do you think you’re doing?_ He communicates using his best friend telepathy.

_Saving your sorry ass_ , Taeyong responds through a simple widening of his eyes.

Johnny’s teeth sink into his bottom lip. “You sure about that?” He asks hesitantly. “I wouldn’t want to intrude or anything since you haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“But it’s been six years since I last saw you,” Taeyong points out brightly, the tone of his voice implying that they were actually friends back in college when in reality he barely knew Johnny any more than Ten did, if at all. “And you’re Tennie’s friend now, so you’re always welcome to join!”

Subtly, Ten jerks his chin to the side. _I’m gonna kill you._

_Try me, bitch._

Johnny still seems indecisive, so the ever perceptive Jaehyun claps him on the back and insists, “Really, you should join. I’d love to get to know you outside of what these two say.”

Accepting defeat, Ten meets Johnny’s eyes and shrugs as if to say, _what can you do?_ “Might as well come along, or else Yong might start crying and Jaehyun’ll beat you up,” he advises.

Jaehyun may be a little shorter and not as broad as Johnny, but Ten wouldn’t bet against him. Jung Jaehyun’s also always been a competitive little piece of shit, and he probably knows all the best places to hit thanks to his medical knowledge. Furthermore, everyone knows that Taeyong could beat Ten up if he wanted to, but he’s too kind to ever do so. So if it came down to a two on two fight, the odds are not in Ten and Johnny’s favor.

Maybe his telepathy extends to Johnny too, because he seems to get the hint. “Okay. Dinner sounds great,” Johnny assents.

If only he knew what he’d just gotten himself into.

 

_The bane of KJD’s existence_

_Ten: Have you ever just found yourself in a situation so weird you’re not sure if it’s real or not?_

_Son Seungwan: What have you done now?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: What have you done now?_

_Ten: Why are you both saying it’s my fault?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: And you’re saying it’s not?_

_Ten: First of all, fuck you Nakamoto. Second of all, it’s actually not my fault this time. I blame Lee Taeyong._

_Son Seungwan: Whoa whaaaaaaa? Taeyong’s back?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Wow, tell him I say hi. It’s been ages._

_Ten: Did both of you really just gloss over the fact that it’s his fault?_

_Ten: That’s beside the point. ANYWAY. Basically I’m currently in a car with Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Johnny and we’re on our way to get dinner._

_Son Seungwan: The fuck?_

_Ten: I know, right? I brought Johnny over to my place so he could pick up his phone charger, then the next thing I know we’re getting mobbed by Taeyong and Jaehyun. And you know I can’t just say no to either of them even if they are little shits._

_Son Seungwan: Wait why was Johnny’s charger at your apartment?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: The better question is, why are you going on a double date?_

_Ten: Because he left it there when he came to visit me yesterday. And it’s not a date!_

_Nakamoto: You’re literally on a double date and you can’t convince me otherwise. Back me up, noona._

_Son Seungwan: Yup, sounds like a date._

_Ten: Fuck both of you, I don’t know why I ever thought you fools would be helpful._

_Nakamoto Yuta: That’s a very good question: why DID you think we’d useful?_

_Ten: Fuck off we’re here now so I gotta go._

_Son Seungwan: Have fun on the date!_

 

Although Ten would fight anyone who dared challenge his position as Taeyong’s number one hypeman, it is with great shame that he must admit there’s one thing he refuses to support: Taeyong and Jaehyun’s PDA.

The two have been together long enough that they’re clearly way past the honeymoon phase, but at the same time it’s also like they’re still on their first date. Taeyong is naturally cuddly and clingy, constantly searching for touch and warmth. Jaehyun complements him by being so incredibly and selflessly giving, always willing to lend a hand or be a shoulder to lean on. It’s not unusual to find them walking hand in hand, Taeyong excitedly leading Jaehyun around to stare at the smallest things that somehow fill him with wonder.

Currently, they’re seated opposite Ten and Johnny in the booth of a nice little diner. Jaehyun’s got an arm casually draped over Taeyong’s shoulder as they look over the menu with their heads pressed together. They're an unfairly good-looking couple, with Taeyong's beautiful face and large eyes matching Jaehyun's more old-fashioned, yet undeniably handsome features. Heads literally turn to stare at them in awe whenever they walk together, and unfortunately Ten's usually stuck as the third wheel.

“If I have to witness this PDA any longer I’ll slash your tires,” Ten deadpans, miming throwing up.

“But if you slash our tires then you’ll be stuck with us even longer,” Taeyong remarks without even glancing up. “Or we’ll call the cops on you and you’ll get locked up. Pick your poison.”

Ten crosses his arms defiantly. “Yeah, well Johnny-hyung here has already promised to bail me out for murder, so he’ll definitely bail me out for vandalism, too!”

From behind his menu, Johnny mutters, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that if I were you.”

“Motherfucking traitor,” Ten scowls.

After ordering, Taeyong wastes no time in cuddling even closer against Jaehyun’s side and resting his head on his fiancé’s shoulder. “So what’s been going in the office these days, Tennie? Still causing trouble with Yuta and Seungwan?” Taeyong inquires with a knowing smile.

“What trouble? We’re fucking angels,” Ten sniffs in protest.

“Oh, you wouldn’t even know how much trouble,” Johnny speaks up at the same time. As Ten gawks at him, Johnny goes on to explain, “One time I got back from a meeting to find out that Seungwan had chased him around the building and beat him up with a magazine. Just the other day I caught him and Yuta shooting staples at poor Doyoung. And then earlier today he said he wanted to kill one of the interns and that I’d have to bail him out.”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Ten announces, clapping a hand over Johnny’s mouth to shut him up before he can spill more incriminating facts. With a smile that’s perhaps five shades too bright, Ten says, “Ignore this guy, really. He’s still a newb at the office who doesn’t know anything.”

“I’ve literally been here for five months now,” Johnny points out, voice muffled from behind Ten’s hand.

Jaehyun’s eyes survey the scene in amusement. “You seem awfully close,” he remarks cheekily. Out of habit, he plays with the hair on Taeyong’s nape and says, “I’m assuming Ten-hyung isn’t causing so much trouble that you want to quit, huh? Because trust me, he tends to have that effect on people.”

If looks could kill, Ten would’ve buried Jaehyun six feet under by now. “Since when has having fun been a crime?” He spits.

“Be honest, Tennie: roughly what percentage of your shift do you actually spend being productive instead of, oh I don’t know, annoying Seungwan or messing with Yuta?” Taeyong giggles.

Ten glares. “You know I don’t have a respectable answer for that yet you still took advantage of my weakness anyway. Shame on you, Taeyong.”

“What have you been up to since college?” Johnny directs his question to Taeyong after successfully ripping Ten’s hand off his mouth (“Rude!” Ten whines). “I heard you moved recently?”

Taeyong nods, or he does the closest to a nod while still resting on Jaehyun’s shoulder. “I’ve gone into teaching! I used to work at a high school here, but then Jaehyunnie got transferred to Jeonju last summer so I’ve switched over to a private school there.”

“Ah,” Johnny nods. He tips in head in Jaehyun’s direction, inquires, “What do you do for a living?”

Jaehyun opens his mouth to respond, but Taeyong beats him to it. “Hyunnie’s a PA! He’s out there saving lives every day and he’s so good that the doctor he worked with in Seoul recommended the transfer to a better position,” he states proudly, staring up at his fiancé with wide, adoring eyes.

“Hey now, I’m not that great,” Jaehyun laughs, fondly pecking Taeyong on the temple. He turns to Johnny and Ten with a slightly embarrassed smile and explains, “Truthfully I only went to PA school because it was cheaper and shorter than med school. And I figured hey, it doesn’t matter if I’m an actual doctor or not as long as I’m helping out. Plus it pays well, which is always good motivation,” he adds with a sheepish laugh.

“Behold Jung Jaehyun, the smart one,” Ten declares grandly. “He puts the rest of us losers to shame.”

“Mmm, I can see that,” Johnny teases.

Taeyong’s eyes shine in amusement. “What about you, Johnny? What have you been up to all this time?”

Right then, the waiter returns with their food. Johnny waits until everyone’s dishes have arrived before he shrugs and replies, “Nothing much, really. Went back to Chicago for a few years, then came back to Korea three years ago. I’ve been working in HR at the Incheon branch of Taeng&Co, but when the CEO decided Ten’s team needed an HR rep my manager recommended me. I’ll be heading back to my old team next summer, though.”

Ten, who’d been happily digging in to his soup, suddenly drops his spoon with a clatter. A few droplets hit his shirt, but he doesn’t even notice. Because it’s suddenly just hit him that by this time next year, Johnny Seo will be long gone. He’ll be out the door in July and never come back. Ten’s been so wrapped up in other things and giddy at the thought that he and Johnny are finally friends now that he’s forgotten how temporary they are in each other’s lives. 

That’s just how it is, isn’t it? Johnny Seo always, always leaves. And Ten’s been a fool to think otherwise.

Vaguely, Ten registers Jaehyun’s voice. “How are you liking the Seoul team?” Jaehyun’s in the middle of asking. “I’ve only met them a few times but from what I’ve heard they’re a lot to handle.”

Johnny chuckles. “Oh no, they’ve been great. At first I was a bit overwhelmed, but now I think I’ve gotten the hang of things. Besides, if I can handle Ten, then I can deal with any of them. Right, Ten?”

“Huh?” Ten startles back to the present. “Oh,” he pauses, then clears his throat and, a second too late, mumbles, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m a fucking menace.”

Taeyong shoots him a concerned glance that clearly demands for a private conversation later. Ten very purposefully averts his gaze.

Oblivious to the tension, Jaehyun flashes his dimples as he mischievously lowers his voice and says, “You should’ve seen him when he was a senior. Taeyong-hyung and Ten-hyung were both the best and worst president-vice president duo ever. Things were never the same after they graduated.”

“Hush, you!” Taeyong pouts.

“Then you should’ve seen them as freshman,” Johnny jests in return, his laughter echoing all across the diner. “The president that year almost developed a permanent eye twitch because of how chaotic those two were. Ten and Taeyong wanted to do a tap dance routine at one of the showcases, but then we quickly found out that Taeyong couldn’t tap dance after he slipped and fell on his face.”

Taeyong’s pout deepens, making him resemble a disgruntled kitten. “For the record, the tap dancing was all Tennie’s idea. I went along with him because I was an idiot and then I learned the hard way to never listen to him again.”

Ten manages to shoo away his thoughts and plasters on his best smile. “Not my fault you never learned tap,” he jeers.

Jaehyun bursts into laughter. “Oh, that’s nothing compared to what I went through. Taeyong-hyung had the genius idea of making us do these splits as a killing part. I can’t even tell you how many pairs of pants we ripped because of that.”

“Did they ever tell you about the time they literally got disqualified from a competition because the judges said they were too sexual?”

“Oh trust me, I’ve seen the videos. Were you also there when they stripped each other on stage?”

“Shit, I nearly forgot about that.”

“They did that again for their final duet together, too.”

“I feel like this is painting a very misleading image of us,” Taeyong remarks with a sullen frown.

Ten nods vigorously in agreement. “Yeah, we weren’t always hoes. I mean maybe we acted like it on stage, but we were very pure boys.”

Jaehyun snorts so hard his drink spills on the table. “You, pure? Since when?” He chortles.

“For the record, I wasn’t the one who got caught having sex in the practice rooms,” Ten sends a pointed glare to the couple across the booth. Interestingly, both Taeyong and Jaehyun immediately choke on their food.

“It was _one time_ , Tennie!” Taeyong protests, fanning his quickly reddening face. 

“Just be glad I was the one who walked in instead of one of the freshman. Wonder what they would’ve thought if they’d seen the president getting dicked down.”

Taeyong lurches forward. “That’s it!” He yelps, ready to fight his short best friend.

Calmly, Jaehyun places a hand on his waist and pulls him back down to his seat. “Now now, hyung. Don’t go killing him when we’re in public.”

“So you mean I can kill him in private?”

“Yup.”

“I love you!”

“I feel personally attacked,” Ten interrupts the couple’s lovey-dovey murder plans in a deadpanned voice.

The only acknowledgment he gets is a sympathetic pat on the back from Johnny, which is totally enough.

 

Over the course of dinner, Johnny and Jaehyun hit it off like old friends as they continue to share embarrassing stories about Ten and Taeyong. Ten interjects every now and then with some sassy remark or defensive statement, but Taeyong’s eyelids gradually start drooping as he peacefully rests his head in the crook of his fiancé’s neck. 

Noticing this, Jaehyun comfortingly cards his fingers through Taeyong’s hair and says, “Think it’s about time to call it a night—hyung didn’t get much sleep last night because he was so excited and now he’s run out of steam.”

“Wanna stay at my place?” Ten offers.

“Nah,” Jaehyun politely declines. “We already checked into our hotel. It’s only a couple blocks from here so we can walk. And we’re both off work until Christmas is over, so we’ll be here for another week or so. Plenty of time to catch up.”

A lightbulb goes off inside Ten’s head. “Oh! You should totally come to the team Christmas party again! They all loved you last year so it’ll be fun,” Ten insists with a bright smile.

Jaehyun grins. “I’m down for that,” he agrees as he gently shakes Taeyong awake. The smaller man startles, blinking sleepily with those wide eyes of his. 

“Come on hyung, it’s time to go back to the hotel,” Jaehyun coaxes, helping Taeyong to his feet. “Maybe we could meet up after you finish work tomorrow? Anything works, so text us your schedule and we’ll figure something out.”

“Definitely,” Ten beams. He’d forgotten how much he loved Taeyong and Jaehyun, even if they were a sickeningly, annoyingly adorable couple.

Being the true gentleman he is, Jaehyun stops by the counter to pay the bill and leads Taeyong out with an arm around his waist. Taeyong waves goodbye with bleary eyes, but when his gaze meets Ten's the message is clear.

_Let’s talk later_.

Ten’s already not looking forward to that conversation. Especially since he has a feeling he already knows what it’ll be about.

A large hand touches his elbow. “Hey, I’m gonna use the bathroom first and then I’ll drive you back home. Sounds good?” Johnny suggests.

Has Johnny actually been sitting this close to him all night, or is Ten just imagining it? “Oh yeah, that sounds great. Thanks,” Ten replies lamely, a little distracted by how Johnny’s lips look up close.

Johnny squeezes his elbow maybe a little longer than necessary. “Cool. I’ll be back soon,” he promises as he gets up.

Suddenly feeling breathless, Ten blindly grabs at his glass and downs the rest of his water in one gulp. There’ve been too many thoughts swirling around his mind all night, but now that he’s finally alone he’s got nothing to distract himself from addressing them.

One, Taeyong and Jaehyun seem happy as always, so Ten assumes they’ve figured everything out. Not that he’s surprised of course, because they’re Taeyong and Jaehyun and literally nothing could ever tear them apart. 

Two, both expectedly and unexpectedly, it’s so easy to fall back into sync with Taeyong. Sure it’s one thing to talk over the phone and have things feel okay, but now that he’s actually seen Taeyong in person, it feels completely different. Maybe things would still be a little awkward if— _when_ —they talk one on one, but for now, there’s no underlying tension or weirdness. The important part is that they’ve both addressed the problems and are moving past them; whatever they’ve got to talk about next time is something completely different.

Three, Johnny is…well, he’s something, that’s for sure. Ten doesn’t think he’s ever seen Johnny be this sociable before. Obviously Johnny had a fairly large friend group in college and he gets along quite well with the office team too, but the way he jumped in the conversation tonight was so seamless and natural. Had Ten not known better, he would’ve thought that Johnny had always been a part of their friend group—like he’s been there all along instead of just a couple hours ago. It’s a fact that both scares Ten and makes warmth bloom across his chest, which is exactly why he feels more confused than ever.

Four, no matter how much he’d like to believe otherwise, Johnny is leaving. Again. Because nothing has changed.

“Ready to go?” Johnny’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts. He’s standing by the booth with a hand outstretched and a kind smile on his face. 

Ten tries his best to return the smile. “Yeah, let’s go,” he says as he accepts Johnny’s hand.

Five, he doesn’t want Johnny to go.

 

_Ten to Johnny Seo_

_Ten: Did you get home safely?_

_Johnny Seo: Yep, all good. I had a great time tonight—thanks for letting me crash the party with your friends._

_Ten: No problem! They definitely like you a lot too haha_

_Ten: Oh wait, I almost forgot. You never actually had a chance to get your charger, so you want me to look around for it and give it to you tomorrow?_

_Johnny Seo: Ahhh…about that…I wouldn’t stress too much._

_Ten: Huh? It’s fine though, I should be able to find it real fast._

_Johnny Seo: Well, you see, the thing is…_

_Johnny Seo: I may have lied?_

_Ten: You WHAT???_

_Johnny Seo: Confession time: I didn’t actually forget my charger at all._

_Ten: THEN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU TELL ME YOU DID_

_Johnny Seo: This is gonna sound so embarrassing but here goes nothing_

_Ten: BITCH I’M THE ONE WHO GOT TROLLED ALL EVENING YOU BETTER TELL ME THE TRUTH_

_Johnny Seo: I said I left it there because I just wanted an excuse to spend more time with you._

_Johnny Seo: Okay now good night Ten see you tomorrow._

_Ten: what_

_Ten: WHAT_

_Ten: WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK COME BACK HERE AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF_

 

_The bane of KJD’s existence_

_Ten: What does it mean when someone says they lied about something because they wanted to spend more time with you?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Is this another hypothetical question?_

_Ten: …yes_

_Nakamoto Yuta: LOL_

_Nakamoto Yuta: Goodnight I have a cuddling session to get back to._

_Ten: A cuddling session? WITH WHOM HUH? TELL US MORE!_

_Nakamoto Yuta: …bye_

_Son Seungwan: Idiots. You’re both idiots and I don’t even know why I’m still friends with you._

_Ten: Because without us you wouldn’t have any friends?_

_Son Seungwan: The fucking audacity oh my god_

_Ten: How does it feel to have your only friends be younger men?_

_Son Seungwan: First of all, that’s a lie because I have plenty of friends. Second of all, you’re literally only two years younger than me shut the fuck up._

_Ten: I hope I never have to stoop to your level, noona._

_Son Seungwan: Third of all, you’re a fucking moron who can’t figure out what’s completely obvious and I’m about two seconds away from ripping all my hair out because Jesus fucking christ how oblivious can you be?_

_Ten: Huh?_

_Son Seungwan: Figure it out yourself, dumbass._

_Ten: Fine! I will!_

 

_Ten to Kim Jongdae_

_Ten: Am I just stupid, or is there something I’m missing? Or maybe I’m being purposefully left in the dark?_

_Kim Jongdae: I don’t even know the context but I can already guarantee that the answer is all of the above._

_Ten: Ouch. That hurt, Dad :’(_

_Kim Jongdae: Oh for fuck’s sake._

_Kim Jongdae: Fine, I give in. What’s up?_

_Ten: Awwww I knew you cared about me!_

_Kim Jongdae: Don’t push your luck, kid._

_Ten: Okay but what does it mean when someone admits to lying about forgetting something at your apartment just so they can have an excuse to spend more time with you? Does it mean they like you? As in like like you? As in they’re romantically interested and you’re not just misinterpreting signs because you’re too blinded by your own feelings?_

_Kim Jongdae: Who the fuck still says “like like” I’m getting secondhand embarrassment._

_Kim Jongdae: But all I’m gonna say is that if you’d use your brain a little, you’d figure out what that means._

_Ten: Um, I already tried that. So what does it mean?_

_Kim Jongdae: Go to bed._

 

_Ten to Dong Sicheng_

_Ten: Am I oblivious?_

_Dong Sicheng: If by oblivious you mean dumb as hell and socially clueless, then yes I think you’re the most oblivious person to ever exist._

_Dong Sicheng: Now leave me alone I’m in the middle of a cuddling session._

_Ten: Oh are you now? How INTERESTING_

_Dong Sicheng: I’m blocking you._

 

_Ten to Lee Jeno_

_Ten: AM I OBLIVIOUS TELL ME THE TRUTH_

_Lee Jeno: Ummm…yes?_

_Ten: Fuck._

 

_Byun Baekhyun to Ten_

_Byun Baekhyun: Yes, you’re oblivious._

_Ten: What the fuck how’d you know I was about to ask._

_Byun Baekhyun: Jongdae warned me ahead of time. The answer is yes, but I’m gonna leave you hanging because it’s cute to watch you suffer._

_Ten: Wow, and here I thought we had a special bond after babysitting the demons together. I see how it is, Baekhyun-hyung._

_Byun Baekhyun: Ahhh, to be young and in love again. Good times._

_Ten: Aren’t you Jongdae-hyung’s age?_

_Byun Baekhyun: Yes, and?_

_Ten: So that means you’re literally only four years older than me AND you’re also in love too. Therefore, you can’t just pretend you’re any different from me._

_Byun Baekhyun: You have a point._

_Ten: By the way, what happened this morning with Kyungsoo? I know it’s not any of my business, but is everything okay now?_

_Byun Baekhyun: Aww, that’s really sweet of you, Ten! Let’s just say that there’s still plenty of talking to be done and decisions to be made, but for now I think things are promising. Turns out Kyungsoo’s actually really cool, who would’ve thought._

_Byun Baekhyun: But anyway. If I can figure my shit out, then you can figure yours out too! Have fun~~~!_

_Ten: You know this really wasn’t a helpful conversation at all but for some reason I feel so cleansed after talking to you._

_Byun Baekhyun: Always here to help! If you ever need anyone who’s like Jongdae but doesn’t swear as much then hit me up!_

_Ten: I’ve never felt so loved omg._

_Byun Baekhyun: <3_

 

“I fucking hate Kim Doyoung,” is how Yuta greets Ten a few days later.

“Yeah? Join the club,” Ten agrees without even looking up from his work.

“I’m the president of the club,” Sunyoung pipes in.

The devil spawn himself rolls his eyes. “What? So now it’s a crime to be in the Christmas spirit?” Doyoung demands defensively.

“Dons,” Ten says seriously. “It’s not that we hate Christmas; It’s that we hate you and the things you make us do.”

Doyoung considers that for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. “Whatever.”

Seungwan, who’s staked claim to Jeno’s empty chair, loudly sips at her coffee—thankfully it’s not from Ten’s mug this time or else he’d kill her. “I swear to god this better be the last year we have to do Secret Santa. My hair is turning gray from all the stress.”

Johnny, who at some point had dragged his chair over to Ten’s other side, tilts his head. “What’s wrong with Secret Santa? My Incheon team does that, too.”

“Oh you poor, poor thing,” Ten doesn’t think twice before sympathetically patting the top of Johnny’s head. “Such innocence. You don’t know the horrors of Christmas until you’ve experienced it with Kim Doyoung.”

“Ignore them, they’re spreading fake news about me,” Doyoung argues.

“Trust me,” Yuta grimly shakes his head. “You may think Secret Santa is harmless and shit, but then it all goes to hell every year. That’s why at least one desk always get broken during the office party.”

Alarm flashes through Johnny’s eyes. “Should I be concerned?” He asks worriedly, eyes flickering over to his desk.

Seungwan chortles. “Nah, just wait and see for yourself. Your first party with us is a once in a lifetime experience.”

“I’m already scared,” Johnny decides.

“You should be,” Ten agrees. “By the way, what are you doing here? Aren’t you usually the only productive one around here?”

Johnny just shrugs. “Eh. I’m bored today.”

Deeming that a good enough excuse, Ten shrugs as well and returns to his computer. With the Christmas party coming up in only a week, he’s got to get as much done as possible before he officially loses all his brain cells.

Not even a minute later, Seungwan’s kicking him in the shin to get his attention. Normally Ten would just ignore her, but she just had to choose today of all days to wear stilettos when she usually wears flats, and _fuck_ do those shoes hurt like a bitch.

“What?” Ten hisses, shooting her his most unimpressed look.

Seungwan merely kicks him one last time for good measure. “Where are our beloved interns, anyway? I haven’t seen them all day,” she furrows her brows together.

“Really?” Ten blinks. Now that he thinks about it, he saw Jeno once when he first came in, and then the intern took his lunch break early and hasn’t come back since then. His break is long over too, so where the hell is he? He casts a glance over to the accounting cubicles and is surprised to find that they’re barren—usually when Seungwan’s bothering him, Jaemin’s still diligently working away at his numbers. The only intern present right now is Mark, which is just classic, really.

“Maybe they finally got sick of their crackhead mentors and decided to run away?” Yuta guesses.

Ten flips him off. “Not possible, I’m a motherfucking angel,” he dismisses.

Johnny hoists himself to his feet. “Wanna go look for them? I really don’t feel like being productive right now,” he propositions.

“You, unproductive? Since when?” Seungwan narrows her eyes in suspicion. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything, would you?”

“Hey, what’s with the sudden attack?” Johnny raises his arms with a laugh. “I’m just bored, okay? I guess the lack of productivity from this office has finally rubbed off on me.”

Seungwan still doesn’t look quite convinced, but her mouth thins down to an accepting line. ”I’d love to, but I feel like I’m obligated to actually do some accounting since my intern is MIA. Drag Ten along with you instead—it’s not like he ever gets anything done, anyway.”

“Yeah, why not,” Ten tosses his pencil down and stands up. “Anything beats having to sit within five feet of Dons.”

“I swear no one in this building supports me,” Doyoung mutters venomously under his breath.

“We really don’t,” Sunyoung’s voice rings out as Ten and Johnny make their way into the hallway.

Now that he’s alone with Johnny, Ten suddenly feels an inexplicable urge to avoid eye contact and hide his face. They’ve still talked plenty since the incident a few days ago, but there’s a massive elephant in the room that neither of them have dared address yet. Johnny seems too embarrassed by how much he revealed, whereas Ten still feels flustered whenever he rereads the texts.

“Soooo,” Johnny trails off, whistling awkwardly because he’s stupid like that. “Where do you think a pair of twenty-three year old would hide?”

Ten still refuses to meet his eyes. “Uhhh, I don’t know? There aren’t really a lot of hiding places here,” he mumbles, scanning the hallway for any possible areas. There’s the private conference room, but he’s pretty sure that Jongdae’s using it right now for a meeting with someone from the tenth floor. Other than that there’s the men’s room and…

Coincidentally, Johnny points to the same place Ten had just been thinking about. “What about the storage closet?”

For some reason, Ten feels uneasy. “I doubt it,” he laughs nervously, swallowing as he eyes up the closet door. “I mean, they’re probably down at the first floor café or something. Or in the bathroom.”

Johnny’s smirk is a little too devious, and Ten thinks he seems something else flash through his eyes. “Might as well check anyway,” Johnny declares, striding forth with those unfairly long legs of his.

The feelings of unease only growing stronger, Ten hastily runs after him and, with trepidation in his heart, pulls the door open. It’s probably nothing, he convinces himself. He’s just going to find stacks upon stacks of copying paper. Nothing else. Right.

Instead, he finds his darling intern pushed up against the storage supplies, getting the daylights kissed out of him by the resident accounting intern.

“What the fuck!” Ten shrieks like a banshee, leaping up in the air and clutching his chest to still his erratic heart. 

Immediately, the interns snap apart and stare back at him with round eyes. 

“Oh, Ten-hyung!” Jeno exclaims with more cheer than necessary. His lips are swollen and red and his pupils are blown all the way to the next galaxy as he steadies himself against a stack of printer paper. “W-w-what are you doing? Um, the weather’s nice, isn’t it?” He stammers, purposefully avoiding eye contact like the plague.

“The weather? The _weather_?” Ten demands incredulously. He’s not sure whether he wants to slap Jeno on the back and pinch his cheeks in congratulations or smack the boy for making him worry. “That’s all you can come up with, Lee Jeno? The fucking weather?”

“It’s not bad today?” Johnny suggests with a sheepish grin.

Ten doesn’t even look back as he sharply elbows Johnny in the ribs. “Shut your whore mouth,” he snarls.

Obediently, Johnny clamps his jaw shut. Satisfied, Ten whirls back around to face the interns. “Explain yourselves. Now,” he barks through gritted teeth, even standing on his tiptoes a bit to make up for the unfortunate height disadvantage.

Jeno shoots a nervous glance at Jaemin. “We’re, um, kind of dating now?” He suggests meekly.

“Oh, are we now?” Jaemin teasingly lifts a brow. “But that’s not what you said when I asked last night,” he adds in a singsong voice.

“Nana!” Jeno squawks, face tomato red. 

Ten frowns. “So are you officially together or not?” He demands.

Jeno jumps. “Um, that is, we are, well, uh, you see…”

Jaemin fondly rolls his eyes and reaches up to pinch the other intern’s cheeks. “What my little no fun Jeno is trying to say,” he grandly commences with a sigh, “is that we’re together now. As in, we’ve gone on a few dates and I asked him to be my boyfriend about twenty minutes ago, except he freaked out and dragged me into this closet to make out. When he’s gay panicking, he tends to solve the problem through kissing,” Jaemin explains solemnly.

“No I don’t,” Jeno mumbles in embarrassment, face even redder if at all possible.

“Wait,” Ten holds up a hand as he attempts to process this information overhaul. “So you’re boyfriends now? What the fuck?”

Tsking, Jaemin squeezes Jeno’s cheeks even harder and brightly explains, “See, I don’t know either because this one still hasn’t answered my question. Well, unless you count the kissing, but since it’s not verbal I don’t consider that as an answer. So what d’ya say, Jeno? Wanna be my boyfriend?”

“Jaemin!” Jeno splutters.

“Whaaaaaat?” Jaemin winks. Ten’s almost forgotten how much of a flirt the accounting intern can be, but now he’s rather amused at how effortlessly Jaemin charms and teases Jeno. 

Face so red at this point that Ten seriously considers calling an ambulance for a heat stroke patient, Jeno fumbles around until he encases Jaemin’s hands in his, whispers a shy, “Yes,” and immediately surges forward to reconnect their lips.

“Aww,” Ten coos, pressing a hand over his heart because seriously, that’s too much cuteness for him to handle. Then he suddenly remembers that he’s supposed to be the tough mentor, so he quickly scowls and snatches the back of Jaemin’s collar to break the (adorable) interns apart.

Sternly, he says, “Now you listen here, Na Jaemin. If you dare hurt my darling little intern, I’ll not only pulverize you on a stick, but also kill Seungwan as well for raising such a horrible boy. And then I won’t even go to prison for murder because Johnny-hyung here has already agreed to bail me out—”

“I don’t think you know how the whole prison process works,” Johnny mutters under his breath.

“—so unless you want me to get away with a double homicide, you’ll be the best boyfriend ever to Jeno here. Got it, kid?” Ten finishes triumphantly, rather proud of himself for the rousing speech he’s just given to his unofficial son’s boyfriend.

Jaemin, however, just laughs that pretty, carefree giggle of his. “Hyung, you couldn’t beat anyone up if you tried,” he points out.

“Why does everyone doubt my murderous intent?” Ten complains, releasing Jaemin nonetheless. He’s had quite enough of the insolent little (read: still taller than him) accounting intern.

“Because you’re too short to be scary?” Johnny proposes.

It takes every fragment of Ten’s willpower to not stomp on the taller man’s foot. “That’s enough from you!” He scowls.

Johnny has the fucking audacity to laugh and _ruffle Ten’s hair_ (what the actual fuck?). “I mean, come on, Ten—you’re about as threatening as an angry puppy.”

_Puppy?_ Dear lord. “Out!” Ten barks, planting his hands on Johnny’s shoulders and giving him a hard push for good measure.

“Good luck, kiddos!” Johnny calls over his shoulder as he jogs back to the office, chuckling all the way.

When Ten turns to face the interns, he immediately feels uneasy at the matching smug grins on their faces. “What?” He frowns. “Is there something on my face?”

“Oh, nothing,” Jeno waves, no longer as red as before. There is, however, still a light pink blush across his cheeks, which is most likely caused by the fact that he and Jaemin are holding hands. 

Suspiciously, Ten glares at Jaemin. “Mind telling me what’s so funny then?”

Jaemin, the little flirty piece of shit, settles for blowing him a kiss. “Figure it out yourself, hyung,” he drawls, already leading Jeno back to the office.

“Hey!” Ten shouts at their retreating figures. “I wasn’t done interrogating you yet!”

“Later!” Jaemin calls over his shoulder.

He’s tempted to flip them off, but Ten’s not about to sink that low and besides, their backs are already facing him. Grumpily, he huffs and crosses his arms, vowing to get revenge on the two interns that give him more trouble than anyone else. Seriously, only one of three interns turned out to be chill and normal? And Mark belongs to Jongdae of all people? Just Ten’s luck.

 

_Seoul Branch Dimwitted Stupid Idiotic Brainless Dumb as Hell Nincompoops_

_Ten: Hey Chanyeol-hyung, you won the bet._

_Son Seungwan: What_

_Nakamoto Yuta: What_

_Kim Jongdae: What_

_Park Sunyoung: What_

_Park Chanyeol: Which one?_

_Na Jaemin: I’m guessing it was the one about me and Jeno, hmm?_

_Lee Jeno: You knew there was a bet about us? Ohmygod >_<_

_Na Jaemin: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3_

_Son Seungwan: Ah yes, that’s right. Chanyeol-oppa did predict by Christmas, so I guess he’s the closest._

_Mark Lee: Um can someone explain what’s actually going on? What bet? What about Jeno and Jaemin? Why did Chanyeol-hyung win?_

_Kim Jongdae: Oh you poor, poor thing. So innocent. So young and naive. So much for you to learn._

_Mark Lee: Huh???_

_Park Sunyoung: Welcome to the office, Mark._

_Mark Lee: Um I’ve been here for four months already but thanks, I guess?_

_Park Chanyeol: Anyway, y’all need to pay up. I expect my money by the end of the day._

_Son Seungwan: WAIT_

_Ten: What, woman?_

_Son Seungwan: First of all, @Ten can choke. But more importantly, Chanyeol-oppa…you didn’t actually win…_

_Park Chanyeol: WHAT_

_Park Sooyoung: Taeil-oppa and I just got back from a meeting what did we miss?_

_Byun Baekhyun: Long story short, Jeno and Jaemin finally got together and we all thought Chanyeol won the bet, except it looks like he didn’t._

_Park Sooyoung: Whaaaaaa? But it’s almost Christmas, which is what he predicted?_

_Son Seungwan: Ah, but you see, here’s the thing…_

_Son Seungwan: He did say they’d get together by Christmas, but there’s someone else who said Jeno and Jaemin would get together by the second week of December. Which, well, we’re right in the middle of._

_Park Chanyeol: Alright which of you bitches just robbed me?_

_Kim Jongdae: Watch your language, bitch._

_Kim Jongdae: But it wasn’t me, if you’re wondering. Wasn’t Sunyoung either since we bet together._

_Park Sooyoung: Not me either, and Taeil-oppa says his phone is dead but that it also wasn’t him_

_Park Chanyeol: TEN. YUTA._

_Ten: Note to self that the only thing that can make Chanyeol-hyung mad is robbing money that wasn’t even his in the first place. But no, it wasn’t me. I said it would only take a month._

_Nakamoto Yuta: Nope, I also failed._

_Dong Sicheng: Also not me._

_Park Chanyeol: BAEKHYUN I SWEAR TO GOD_

_Byun Baekhyun: I’m hurt that you expect so little of me :’(_

_Park Chanyeol: Oh Jesus Christ_

_Park Chanyeol: Baek I’m sorry…_

_Byun Baekhyun: :D_

_Park Chanyeol: Okay but still WHOMST THE FUCK MADE ME LOSE_

_Son Seungwan: See for yourself_

_Son Seungwan: [attachment]_

 

“WHAT?” Every single voice in the office cries out in unison. Every voice but one, to be more precise.

Johnny calmly sips at his coffee, the smugness in his eyes absolutely unbearable. “Easiest money ever made,” he states, proudly lifting his chin with a smirk plastered on his lips.

Ten can’t tell if he wants to smack the guy or aggressively make out with him because shit that’s hot. “I hate you,” he settles for instead.

“Please, you love me,” Johnny smoothly replies without missing a beat.

Touché _._

 

(“You know,” Jaemin remarks from the break room. All the senior workers are currently crowded together in the office, surrounding Johnny’s desk and shouting at the HR rep. “I don’t know if I should be flattered or not that they made a bet on us. Honestly, I’m kind of touched but also a bit weirded out.”

Shyly, Jeno laces their fingers together and presses his temple to Jaemin’s. “Did you expect any more? They’re all crackheads and you know it.”

Jaemin uses his free hand to pinch Jeno’s cheek again, which makes the latter pout. “You say that like you’re not a crackhead, too,” Jaemin teases.

Jeno responds by nuzzling the side of his face against Jaemin’s neck. “But you love me!” He insists cutely.

“Hmm,” Jaemin pretends to think that over. “Maybe I do.”

“Nana!”

Jaemin hums and drops a quick kiss on the corner of Jeno’s mouth. “Love you, JenJen.”

The high-pitched sound that comes out of Jeno’s mouth sounds like a cat's mewl and it's utterly adorable. “I love you too, Nana,” he mumbles.

While the adults squabble in the office, the interns enjoy the peace of each other’s company in the break room. Jeno really is so cute, Jaemin thinks affectionately. He may seem intimidating, but that’s just because he’s so handsome and his sense of humor isn't the best. Nonetheless, Jeno’s nothing but a softie and Jaemin is one hundred percent whipped.

“Hey,” Jeno nudges him on the chin. “You think we should tell Ten-hyung and the others that we’ve actually been together for a month?”

Jaemin shakes his head with a devious smirk. “Nah. Johnny-hyung told us he’d give us half the money, remember?”

“Oh, right.”)


	10. holiday hijinks, that's all

“Thank you!” Taeyong chirps brightly, beaming at the barista in gratitude as he waddles back over to Ten’s side with his hot mocha cupped in both hands.

Ten doesn’t even try to hide his snort. “I see you’re still a baby,” he remarks casually.

“Last time I checked I’m a year older than you, Tennie. If I’m a baby what does that make you?” Taeyong shoots back, unbothered as he sips at his sweet drink. If anything, he looks _smug_ , knowing very well just how cute he is.

“Jaehyun pampers you too much,” Ten grumbles, watching in approval as Taeyong dumps an extra sugar packet into his drink. Finally, he's with someone who understands the importance of a good sugar rush. “I bet all it takes is one pout from you and then he’ll stuff you with desserts, huh? Must be nice having a rich fiancé.”

Taeyong rolls his eyes. “Stop exaggerating—he’s not _that_ rich.”

“He’s a doctor.”

“Being a PA isn’t the same as being a doctor.”

“It’s close enough,” Ten sighs, accepting defeat. “But I didn’t hear you deny that he spoils you, so he’s rich enough. End of discussion.”

Taeyong laughs. Compared to his pretty face and soft voice, Taeyong’s laughter sounds out of place with its high-pitched reediness. But Ten’s always liked that about him—it helps remind him that Taeyong isn’t perfect, nor does he particularly care about being seen that way.

“Where is he, anyway?” Ten suddenly remembers. He’s fairly sure he invited both of them out for coffee, but only Taeyong’s shown up. “Did he finally get tired of spending all his money on you?”

With a light kick to Ten's shin, Taeyong rolls his eyes again and says, “No, idiot. He’s getting lunch with his old mentor, but he should be here any minute now. And stop acting like I’m only marrying him for the money!”

“I still don’t hear any denial!”

“Why are we friends again?” Taeyong wails.

“Because I’m the only one who would talk to your skinny ass back in college?”

“Ten.”

“What?”

“Hush.”

“Yes, mother.”

Taeyong kicks him again under the table. “Jeez, I’ve forgotten how annoying you are,” he comments, but there’s no real malice in his voice as he smiles fondly at his best friend.

Ten returns the smile with one of his own. “And I’ve forgotten how much of a pampered princess you are, Yongie,” he sticks his tongue out.

“Really killed the moment right there,” Taeyong mutters under his breath. He shakes his head a few times, then takes another sip of his mocha and says, “So how are you doing, anyway? I feel like I didn’t get a chance to actually catch up with everything going on in your life when we had dinner with Johnny. Who, by the way, is the part I’m most curious about.”

Shrugging as evenly as he can, Ten feigns indifference and replies, “I mean, there’s really not much going on with him. We’re friends now, that’s all.”

Taeyong’s doe-like eyes bore into his. “Why was he at your apartment that time, hmm?” He points out curiously.

Ten’s about to respond by saying Johnny forgot his charger, but then he remembers that, oh yeah, Johnny didn’t actually forget his charger because he’s a liar who apparently just wanted to _spend more time with_ _Ten_ , whatever that's supposed to mean _._ If he tells the truth then Taeyong will only ask more questions, but if he lies, then that’ll still lead to more questions because Taeyong will undoubtedly ask why Johnny’s charger was even there in the first place (even though it wasn’t because fuck Johnny Seo).

He could always tell Taeyong the _other_ stuff too, like Johnny admitting that he used to return Ten’s feelings. But what’s the point in that? What happened in the past happened in the past, and Ten doesn’t want to get his hopes up too much.

Resigned to the fact that he’s screwed no matter what, Ten flops back in his chair and halfheartedly explains, “Because we’re friends?”

Taeyong shoots him an absolutely withering look. “You know I can tell when you’re lying, right? I have like, a seventh sense for that.”

“Don’t you mean a sixth sense?”

“Nope, seventh. My sixth sense is for knowing when Jaehyunnie’s around.”

“Damn. Five years and you’re still whipped as hell?”

“That’s beyond the point, but yes I am,” Taeyong rolls his eyes yet again—Ten wouldn’t be surprised if his eyeballs got stuck like that at this rate. “My point is, I know there’s a reason why Johnny was with you that time, and I’m also one hundred percent sure that something happened to make you feel too embarrassed to talk about it. Obviously I don’t know much about the situation because I haven’t been here this whole time, but here’s what I can say for sure: He’s a dumbass and you’re an oblivious fool. There, I’ve said my part.”

Ten blinks. “Huh?”

“Nothing!” Taeyong exclaims brightly. And just like that, any sign of his prior seriousness washes off his face as he resumes his normal cheerful expression. “Enough boy talk—tell me how work is going! You still haven’t completely filled me in on the Yuta and Sicheng drama, and I believe you mentioned there’s a love triangle involving the secretary and the manager? Tell me everything!”

Ten contemplates asking Taeyong more about what he means—other than the obvious reasons, why is Johnny a dumbass? And will someone please finally tell Ten just _why_ he’s so oblivious?—then decides against it because knowing Taeyong, he’ll only shoot him an infuriatingly dazzling smile and change the topic again. So, with a beleaguered sigh, Ten launches into every detail he knows about Yuta and Sicheng, any and all thoughts of Johnny quickly forgotten.

“—so there we were, hiding behind a chair in the lobby because I was avoiding Yuta, when suddenly Sicheng fucking skips up to him and holds his hand. They were so smiley together—hell, I think that may have been the first time I’ve ever seen Sicheng actually smile, not that fake one he sends when he secretly wants to kill us—and Yuta even kissed him in the elevator. Just on the cheek, but since I don’t think Sicheng would ever let anyone kiss him in general it had to mean something. And then I find out from Johnny that he caught them making out in the closet on his first day, but they swore him to secrecy and he didn’t think about it that much. So I guess they’ve been secretly dating for god knows how long now. Wild, right?”

Taeyong’s mouth is slightly parted, eyes widened in awe. “Wow,” he gasps. “I didn’t think Yuta had it in him, but damn. Props to him for finally getting the man of his dreams.”

“I know, right? I wish I could congratulate him or something, but I can’t say anything because technically I’m not supposed to know. It’s been a hell of a struggle trying to keep my mouth shut.”

“As expected,” Taeyong teases as he sips at his mocha.

Ten aims a retaliatory kick at his bony shin. “Oh, and did I ever mention how my intern’s whipped for Seungwan’s? Well now they’re together, too. Johnny and I caught them making out.”

“Aww,” Taeyong coos, “that’s so cute. I can’t wait to meet them—from what you’ve told me, Jeno just sounds so cute!”

“Oh he’s adorable—until you realize that he’s never at his fucking desk because he’s too busy flirting with Jaemin, that is,” Ten shudders at the memories of Jeno’s early days. Back when the kid first started, he’d been so lovesick it drove Ten insane. Not to say he’s any less lovesick, but at least he’s more diligent now.

Taeyong laughs. “And how’s that Doyoung doing? Isn’t your Christmas party in a couple days?”

Immediately, Ten’s gaze darkens at the mere mention of Kim Doyoung’s name. “We don’t speak of that,” he grouses, angrily slamming his cup of coffee down on the table.

A few droplets spill over, much to neat freak Taeyong’s disapproval. “Surely it can’t be that bad. I mean, maybe third time’s the charm?” He suggests helpfully, quickly wiping up Ten’s mess with a napkin.

Ten just shakes his head. “If Doyoung’s involved, nothing can ever go well,” he responds morbidly. He’s only known the other man for two years, but that’s way longer than necessary.

“Now I’m wondering whether or not Jaehyunnie and I should be going,” Taeyong comments with a grin. “Come on, Ten! I know I don’t work with these people, but it sounds like fun! I’d love to witness the office dynamics again.”

“You just want to hear all the embarrassing work stories about me,” Ten glares accusingly.

“Oof. Caught red-handed,” Taeyong winks. He looks like he’s about to say more, but then he perks up and giddily announces, “Jaehyunnie’s here!”

Confused, Ten frowns and surveys the café. Maybe he’s blind, but he can’t seem to find the guy anywhere. “Yong, what are you—”

“Shhh,” Taeyong silences him by holding up a hand. Dreamily, he explains, “My sixth sense is acting up.”

Ten’s brows raise all the way to his hairline. But before he can finish asking just what his best friend is smoking, the door to the café bursts open to reveal Jung Jaehyun in all his (smoking hot) glory.

“Hey,” Jaehyun greets, kissing his fiancé on the cheek. Taeyong brightens up and offers his mocha, which Jaehyun gratefully accepts and takes a sip out of.

"How was meeting with Dr. Kwon?" Taeyong asks cheerfully.

Jaehyun winces slightly after swallowing. “Shit, that’s sweet,” he coughs, face contorting from all the sugar.

Taeyong peers at him worriedly. “You want to order something else? I’m sorry, I know you don’t like things too sweet so I only added one sugar packet instead of two like usual,” he frets.

“No no no, it’s fine,” Jaehyun insists, grimacing through the pain as he brings the cup back to his lips. “I can handle it, so don’t worry too much, okay?”

That’s a lie—Ten knows for a fact that while Jaehyun can tolerate sweets, he definitely doesn’t like too much sugar. It doesn’t help that Taeyong always orders the sweetest thing on the menu _and_ adds extra sugar. Ten’s convinced that the fact that Jaehyun’s been able to deal with Taeyong’s incessant sweet tooth for so long must be proof that true love exists.

Relieved, Taeyong beams as he loops his arm through Jaehyun’s. “Next time I won’t add any,” he promises.

Jaehyun smiles down at him affectionately and presses a kiss to his forehead. “Add as much as you want, hyung.”

_Fuck couples,_ Ten thinks flatly as he observes the grossness in front of him. _Fuck them all_.

He makes a point of clearing his throat as loudly and obnoxiously as possible, which effectively snaps the sickeningly sweet couple out of their reverie. “If you could stop making the single people in the room—read: me—feel even more single than usual, I’d greatly appreciate that, thank you very much,” Ten deadpans, adding in a gagging motion for good measure.

“Sorry, hyung,” Jaehyun laughs sheepishly, pink dusting his ears as he wraps an arm around Taeyong’s shoulders. “You know how Taeyong-hyung is, though. If I don’t give him attention he’ll start pouting, and as adorable as that is, we don’t really want that, do we?”

“Hey!” Taeyong whines and, as expected, pouts.

Ten’s torn between gagging again at the stupidly cute couple and ditching them right there and then. Instead, he settles for rolling his eyes and bitterly nursing his latte. “I don’t know how I put up with you two. I should like, be paid for being your third wheel because it’s basically a full time job at this point.”

“I mean, you could always get your own boyfriend—” Jaehyun points out, only to be cut off by Taeyong sharply elbowing him in the side.

“How could he ever get his own boyfriend when he's always too caught up on Johnny Seo?” Taeyong chides with a knowing look.

Jaehyun’s mouth parts as he remembers that crucial fact. “Oh, right. Well in that case, why not just date the guy now?”

Ten just stares at him blankly. “Because he doesn’t like me back?” He responds as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Never mind the fact that he just admitted to still liking Johnny—he may be oblivious and a fool, but he’d like to believe he’s at least honest with himself.

One second Jaehyun’s taking yet another reluctant sip of Taeyong’s saccharine mocha, and the next he’s snorting so hard coffee comes out of his nose and sprays all over the table. Taeyong lets out a shout of dismay as he hastily snatches an entire stack of napkins and dabs at his fiancé’s mouth and chin, fussing over him not unlike a parent to a child.

Yeah, forget everything about Jaehyun being hot. Because as far as Ten’s concerned? The guy’s a fucking nerd just like Taeyong, which is probably why they’re a match made in heaven.

“Wow,” Jaehyun goggles in awe once his nostrils have been cleared of sugary liquid. “Wow, he really is dense. You were right, Yongie.”

“Since when have I ever been wrong?” Taeyong sighs with a shake of his head.

Ten frowns. “I feel like there’s something neither of you are telling me and that’s just making me even more confused,” he grumbles, crossing his arms defensively.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Taeyong insists, smiling brightly yet with a mischievous glint in his otherwise angelic eyes.

At the exact same moment, Jaehyun bluntly states, “He obviously likes you back.” 

Ten and Taeyong choke in unison. “Jaehyun!” Taeyong scolds while Ten exclaims, “Beg pardon?”

“Whaaaat?” Jaehyun raises his hands in defense. “We can’t just leave him in the dark forever!”

“But it’s up to those two to finally stop being headasses and confront their feelings!” Taeyong argues back in a hushed whisper.

“Hyung, in that case we’d be waiting forever.”

“True, but we can’t accept defeat like that!”

“Guys,” Ten interrupts, unamused as he narrows his eyes at his friends. “You realize I can hear everything, right?”

Taeyong nervously glances at Jaehyun, which the latter responds to by squeezing his shoulder reassuringly and, with a deep sigh, turns to Ten and proclaims, “Dude, Johnny clearly likes you and it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. Period.”

Ten resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Why would he like me? He’s always been out of my league?” He counters, forcing down the warm feeling blooming outwards from his heart. _Don’t get your hopes up, dumbass._

“Oh, please,” Jaehyun laughs, covering his mouth with a hand. “Hyung, leagues are such bullshit—they’re not actually real; people just use them as an excuse for being too afraid to be honest. Just admit that you and Johnny like each other and go. Better yet, confess to each other and become a couple and then you won't have to third wheel anymore!”

Taeyong hits him across the chest. “Don’t you think that’s a bit blunt?” He purses his lips in worry.

“Maybe, but when it comes to Ten-hyung you’ve got to be brutally honest.”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

Ten, meanwhile, would like nothing more than for a hole to open up under his chair and drag him to the pits of hell. He’d probably run into Doyoung there, but anything’s better than having _this_ conversation with _this_ irritating couple. 

Sensing his discomfort, Taeyong reaches across the table and places his hand over Ten’s. With a sympathetic grin, he gently says, “We’re just teasing you, Tennie. But for what it’s worth, I’d take what we say somewhat seriously. Trust us—you may be dense, but Johnny’s not nearly as smooth as he tries to be.”

Ten blinks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jaehyun stops laughing long enough to send Ten a knowing look. “It means that if you weren’t in such denial, you’d pick up on all his very obvious signals,” Jaehyun explains solemnly.

Signals? What signals?

“You’re no help,” Ten declares. He laughs nervously, trying his best to ignore any and all inklings of hope that Johnny Seo of all people could ever like him back. 

_But he did like you_ , his traitorous conscience whispers. _He even told you that he used to—who’s to say he doesn’t still?_

_Shut up and go die,_ the more reasonable part of Ten’s brain hisses in response, chasing away the delusions.

“Anyway, that’s enough talk about me,” Ten hurriedly changes the subject, not willing to dwell too long on the impossible. With a forced smile, he props his chin on his hand and says, “So how have you two been? Have you been adjusting better to Jeonju recently?”

Taeyong and Jaehyun can definitely see right through him, but thankfully they’re nice enough to know when to drop the subject. “Well…” Taeyong trails off, squeezing Jaehyun’s hand for comfort. “I mean, I’m definitely still not a hundred percent used to it yet. Working with the kids there is hard, but I think I’m getting the hang of it now. Actually, it’s been going pretty well. I think…”

 

_Seoul Branch Dimwitted Stupid Idiotic Brainless Dumb as Hell Nincompoops_

_Kim Doyoung: Don’t forget that the party starts at six sharp tonight! Be there or else you’re a loser!_

_Johnny Seo: Isn’t is supposed to be “Be there or be square”?_

_Nakamoto Yuta: I thought we were already losers._

_Park Sooyoung: Shhh, don’t let out the secret. Now the government’s onto us._

_Kim Jongdae: Speak for yourself. Anyone born in or before 1993 is cool._

_Son Seungwan: Wow, that’s cold. You literally just excluded everyone except your wife and best friends._

_Kim Jongdae: Please—Chanyeol’s not even close to being one of my best friends._

_Park Chanyeol: Wtf Dae I trusted you :’(_

_Kim Jongdae: Nah, you’re just the guy both of my best friends were/are madly in love with. I’m only friends with you through association and necessity. You think I’d befriend your sorry ass otherwise?_

_Byun Baekhyun: Jongdae I love you but if you don’t shut up I’ll leak all of your embarrassing high school pictures to the entire building._

_Kim Jongdae: Baek have I ever told you how much I love and appreciate you because I do_

_Park Sunyoung: Funnily enough, he’s never been that mushy with me. I see how it is._

_Kim Jongdae: Maybe I just have a lot of space in my heart okay?_

_Ten: Heart? What heart?_

_Johnny Seo: He means that empty pit inside his chest._

_Kim Jongdae: I will end both of you._

_Kim Doyoung: BACK TO MY POINT_

_Kim Doyoung: Don’t forget your Secret Santas! You can leave big presents under the tree, but if you’ve got something small you can keep it in your pocket or whatever._

_Son Seungwan: Has this bitch even seen the state of girls’ pockets these days?_

_Kim Doyoung: …_

_Park Sooyoung: I’m taking that as a no._

_Son Seungwan: The fucking audacity I can't even deal with this_

_Kim Doyoung: :’)_

_Kim Doyoung: We’ll start exchanging gifts around eight. If you brought gifts for people other than the name you got that’s fine too, but let’s all remember that feelings are delicate and can be hurt easily, so try to keep the extra gift giving discreet ;D_

_Johnny Seo: Is he hinting at something there? I think he’s hinting at something._

_Dong Sicheng: Translation: He knows no one other than his Secret Santa wants to give him a present so he’s trying to keep whatever dignity he has left._

_Nakamoto Yuta: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA you’re so smart Sichengie <3_

_Dong Sicheng: Gross._

_Kim Doyoung: Sometimes I feel like I do so much for this team yet I receive little to no reward at all._

_Ten: That’s because we hate you, Dons._

_Kim Doyoung: That’s a blatant lie._

_Ten: Oh really?_

_Ten: If you hate Kim Doyoung text “yea”_

_Nakamoto Yuta: yea_

_Dong Sicheng: yea_

_Park Sunyoung: yea_

_Park Sooyoung: yea_

_Kim Jongdae: yea_

_Byun Baekhyun: yea_

_Moon Taeil: yea_

_Johnny Seo: yea_

_Son Seungwan: yea_

_Ten: Interns?_

_Lee Jeno: yea_

_Na Jaemin: yea_

_Mark Lee: uh, yea, I guess?_

_Ten: @Kim Doyoung see?_

_Kim Doyoung: I’m filing a request to be moved back down to the third floor._

_Nakamoto Yuta: About fucking time._

 

By the time Ten, Taeyong, and Jaehyun step out of the elevator on the thirtieth floor, the party’s already begun. And _wow,_ Ten marvels, _what a party._

Usually, there are only a few red and green decorations strung up on the ceiling and maybe a wreath or two somewhere. This year Doyoung took matters into his own hands and declared that he’d be in charge of all the decorating and other preparations—not that anyone minded, of course, because no one else wanted to put in the effort. Somehow Doyoung had convinced Chanyeol to cancel work for the day (read: he threatened him) so he could have the entire day to set up. At first Ten thought that that was going overboard, but now he gets why Doyoung needed so much time.

Red and green streamers dangle down from the ceiling with little stars attached to the ends. Rather than just a handful of wreathes, Doyoung must’ve hung up fifty or something as they form a connected ring along the office walls. A tall Christmas tree stands in the center of the office—how Doyoung dragged that in here, Ten will never know—with sparkling ornaments weighing down its branches. Even the food looks good for once too, now that Doyoung prepped it all instead of everyone halfheartedly engaging in a potluck.

As much as Kim Doyoung is the bane of Ten’s existence, the guy sure knows how to throw a party.

“Damn,” Taeyong whistles lowly. “This already looks way better than the party you dragged us to last year.”

Ten is still starstruck as he stares at how beautiful the office looks for once. “Fuck Kim Doyoung,” he mutters blankly.

Speak of the devil, the man himself pops up out of thin air with a shit-eating grin. “I believe you mean, ‘Oh thank you Doyoung you’re the best’ but I’ll take what I can get,” Doyoung smirks. 

Just like that, the spell is broken. Ten’s face instantly contorts into a scowl as he stalks past Doyoung. “I don’t know why I put up with you,” he complains.

“Because deep down he’s a lovely person?” Taeyong suggests, trailing after Ten with his fingers interlaced with Jaehyun’s. He shoots a kind smile Doyoung’s way, says, “It’s nice to see you again, by the way. I’ve been hearing just how _wonderful_ you are from Ten.”

Doyoung brightens up at the sight of Ten’s guests. “Oh look! The other twink is here!” He cheers.

Taeyong’s face sours. “Forget what I just said.”

“Dons, a lovely person?” Ten scoffs. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“Already ruining the Christmas spirit, I see,” Doyoung shouts after him. “Watch your step, _Chittaphon_ , or else I’ll sic you under the mistletoe with Yuta!”

Calmly, Ten flips him off.

The party’s in full swing as the team members mingle with each other, cheerful Christmas music blasting from large speakers. There are a few people Ten doesn’t recognize, but he chalks that down to other guests. After all, the party’s supposed to be open to friends and family. Taeyong and Jaehyun break off to say hi to Seungwan, Sicheng, and Yuta, but because Ten knows he’ll only get roasted if he spends time with all five of them, he chooses to aimlessly wander around the room for the time being. 

Over by the tree, Jongdae’s holding Jungwoo up so the little boy can place the star on the top. Chanyeol’s standing next to him with Jisung in his arms, chortling as Jungwoo still can’t quite reach the tree because his father’s not tall enough.

“Oi! Instead of mocking me why don’t you help, you big oaf!” Jongdae snaps, shooting a dirty glare up at his friend-through-association-and-necessity.

Chanyeol bursts into laughter. “Okay okay, I got it, Dae,” he grins, setting Jisung down on the floor and taking Jungwoo out of Jongdae’s hands. Effortlessly, he lifts the child up and Jungwoo lets out a shout of glee as he successfully sets the star on the top of the tree.

“See, it’s not that hard—” Chanyeol’s in the middle of saying, only to get shoved by his short assistant manager.

“Tall people can go screw themselves,” Jongdae declares in annoyance.

“Not in front of the kids, Dae!” Chanyeol protests, covering Jungwoo’s ears in alarm.

Jisung stares up at his father judgmentally.

Ten decides that it’s better not to get involved in that squabble, so he quickly makes a beeline for the refreshments table instead. The interns are all gathered around the food, chattering to each other excitedly.

“What’s up, kiddos?” Ten interjects, looping an arm around his favorite darling intern.

“Hyuuuuuuung,” Jeno whines, but he doesn’t bother removing Ten’s arm.

Jaemin shoots Ten a teasing smirk. “Shouldn’t you be hanging out with people your own age?” The little shit points out lightly. “Or are you desperately trying to cling to your youth by talking to us?”

“Shouldn’t you learn some manners?” Ten retorts without skipping a beat. Oh look, Jeno and Jaemin are wearing matching Christmas sweaters—how cute. Looks like their relationship is progressing rather well, if not a bit quickly.

“I’m adorable; why would I need manners?” Jaemin sasses in return.

“That you are,” Ten admits grudgingly. “Oooh, maragaritas!”

Only after he’s snagged a tall glass and noisily sucked out of the straw does he notice the unfamiliar presence next to Mark. Ten has to tilt his head all the way back in order to see the guy’s face because damn, he’s _tall._ Maybe even taller than Johnny, and that’s saying a lot. The guy looks a few years younger than Ten, so he’s probably around the interns’ age. His eyes are even bigger than Taeyong’s and noticeably wilder, giving him the look of an impressionable, eager puppy.

Mark, noticing Ten’s staring, clears his throat and gestures to his companion. “This is my boyfriend. He’s got like, three names but it’s easiest to just call him Lucas,” Mark introduces, staring up at his boyfriend with fond eyes.

Ten can practically see Lucas’s tail wagging as he shakes his hand. “Ah, so you’re the reason why Jeno stopped hating Mark. Nice to meet you, kid,” he says without thinking (since when does his brain work properly, anyway?).

Jeno flushes as he lets out another high-pitched whine. “Hyuuuuuung! I thought we agreed to no longer talk about that,” he groans, feebly hitting his mentor on the shoulder.

Lucas merely lets out a good-natured laugh. “Oh yeah, I remember that. Mark used to come home wondering why one of the other interns wouldn’t stop glaring at him. So that was you, huh, Jeno-ssi?”

His Korean is heavily accented and judging by the slow, careful way he stumbles over his words, Ten can tell Lucas isn’t completely fluent nor confident in his ability yet. But the guy’s clearly trying hard, so he gives him props for that. Besides, he’s the literal embodiment of a happy pup—Ten’s just met him and he still doesn’t know Mark all that well, but he supports this relationship one hundred percent.

Man, young love. Must be nice.

Lucas and the interns’ chatter fades to background noise as Ten lazily surveys the rest of the office. Jongdae and Chanyeol are still bickering, Taeyong and Jaehyun are sharing drinks with Yuta, Sicheng, and Seungwan (and most definitely shit talking Ten behind his back, but whatever), Baekhyun and Sooyoung are playing with Yerim in a taped off zone that Ten presumes to be for the kids, Sunyoung’s sitting by herself watching her husband with mild amusement, and Taeil and Johnny are deep in conversation over by the printers.

_Johnny_.

The mere sight of the man causes Ten’s palms to clam up. He feels like a fool for still being so affected by Johnny all these years later, but his conversation with Taeyong and Jaehyun keeps coming back to him no matter how hard he tries to shove his thoughts away.

_Johnny clearly likes you and it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out._

As much as Ten would like to believe that, he just won’t. He _can’t_.

A finger pokes him in the side. “Ten-hyung? Are you okay?” Jeno peers at him in concern. “You’re kind of spacing out. Do you want me to get you water or anything?”

Oh, bless his sweet, sweet intern. Mustering up a convincing enough smile, Ten aggressively ruffles Jeno’s hair and shakes his head, says, “Nah, I’m all good. I’ll leave you kids to your gossip or whatever. Enjoy the party while it lasts.”

Jeno frowns, clearly not quite convinced. But he lets Ten off the hook with a quick hug before returning to his boyfriend and friends.

Ten makes sure to snatch a second margarita before leaving the refreshments table. Mentally, he considers his options—he’s not in the mood to get brutally roasted just yet, so that means Taeyong, Jaehyun, Seungwan, Sicheng, and Yuta are all no gos. And obviously he’s not ready to talk to Johnny either, so that rules out Taeil as well. That leaves Doyoung, Baekhyun and Sooyoung, and Sunyoung. Ten knows he’ll get teased mercilessly regardless of whom he goes to, but there’s one option that’s slightly better than the rest.

“Hey, noona,” he greets, sliding onto the couch next to Sunyoung. “Want a margarita?”

Sunyoung tears her gaze away from where Jongdae and Chanyeol continue to squabble by the tree. “Oh, hi Ten,” she smiles warmly, moving to make more space for him. “And no thanks, I’m going sober for tonight.”

Ten does a double take. “You sure?” He asks carefully.

“Yup,” Sunyoung confirms. “So although it’s very tempting and I’ll definitely want to break out all the hard liquor once Secret Santa starts, I’m forcing myself to hold back.”

About a year ago, the team was having their monthly dinner party at Jongdae and Sunyoung’s place when evil mastermind Kim Doyoung had the brilliant idea of holding a drinking competition. Whomever lasted the longest would receive the official “Highest Booze Tolerance” plaque that the psycho had magically conjured out of nowhere, leading to many unanswered questions about how far in advance he’d planned the event. But because they’re a bunch of bored adults in their late twenties and early thirties, they’d gone along with it.

In summary, Ten had by far the worst tolerance, to absolutely no one’s surprise at all. Taeil was a close second, with most of the others possessing normal alcohol tolerances. Jongdae came out with the third highest, leaving Chanyeol and Sunyoung to battle it out at the top. Shockingly, Sunyoung not only beat Chanyeol, she completely wrecked him by downing six more shots before finally calling it a day. Sunyoung may be short and thin, but her tolerance is no joke and Ten knows she’s a force to be reckoned with. To this day, she still proudly shows off the plaque on her cubicle.

So that’s why he’s so surprised upon hearing Sunyoung of all people turn down a drink. She’s got a glass dangling between her fingers, but all it holds it water. This behavior is so un-Sunyoung like—Ten’s never seen her at a party without at least a glass of wine—that Ten can’t help but stare at her as if she were some alien.

Sunyoung makes a face at him. “What, you’re doubting my sobriety? How rude,” she huffs without any real annoyance.

“Noona, have you even met yourself?” Ten points out.

She pauses, then lets out a deep sigh as she sips at her water. “You bring up a valid point,” Sunyoung laments. Quickly, she glances around the room before crooking her finger to signal Ten to come closer. “If you really must know, though, there’s a reason I’m forcing myself to be sober. And it’s not just for fun, trust me.”

Ten leans forward in interest. “Yeah? Is it because Jongdae-hyung told you you need to stop spending all the money on booze?” He suggests cheekily.

Sunyoung’s long nails jab at his chest. “You think Jongdae of all people could stop me?” She scoffs.

“True. So what’s the deal, then?”

“Let’s just say,” she lowers her voice conspiratorially, “that I stopped drinking a couple weeks ago after getting some news, and I won’t be able to drink for another seven months.”

“Huh?” Ten frowns, puzzled. “Did hyung make you go to AA meetings or something?”

Sunyoung’s glare is entirely unimpressed. “You really are an idiot,” she declares flatly.

“What did I do now?”

“Never mind,” Sunyoung shakes her head in disapproval. “Forget I ever mentioned anything. Now go and play with your friends—and take that margarita away too, or else I’ll be tempted!”

Ten shoots her a quizzical look. “Am I missing something?” He wonders aloud.

Sunyoung places her hands on his back and shoves him to his feet. “Go!” She shoos him away with a dismissive flick of her wrist.

_Women are confusing_ , he can’t help but think as he trudges over to his best friends with a margarita in each hand.

“Ooh, for me?” Seungwan plucks the full glass out of his hand in lieu of a proper greeting. “I’m more of a soju girl, but this should do.”

“You’re welcome,” Ten rolls his eyes as he finishes his drink. “Just make sure you don’t throw up on me again. I don’t wanna lose another pair of shoes.”

Seungwan flicks him on the head. “That was only once, okay? Get over it.”

“Just like how Yuta only did porn once?” Sicheng chimes in, voice completely neutral and smooth as he absently swirls his wine around in boredom.

Yuta clutches at his chest theatrically. “You hurt me, Sichengie,” he cries out in pain.

“Sucks, bitch,” Sicheng quips back.

Ten tries his best not to raise his brows. _You’re not fooling anyone, idiots. I can see right through your tsundere ass, Sicheng._

“So,” Taeyong’s in the middle of saying to Seungwan. “Our Tennie hasn’t been giving you too much trouble, right? We told him to be on his best behavior when we moved, but somehow I doubt he listened.”

Seungwan shudders, pausing to take a much-needed sip of margarita. “Since when has he ever listened to anyone?” She points out dryly. “All he does is shirk work every day by bothering me at my desk. I swear productivity goes down about fifty percent whenever he opens his mouth, especially with how emo he’s been since the summer.”

Ten retaliates by slapping her on the arm. “Hey! You also come over to my desk a lot, so stop making it sound like it’s just me!”

“Why would I ever willingly spend time with you?” Seungwan drawls teasingly.

“Because Yuta and I are your only friends?”

“Shit. You’ve really got me there.”

“Aha! So you finally admit it!”

“Fuck off,” is all Seungwan says as she saunters away, depositing her now empty glass back into Ten’s hands.

“Why are women so confusing?” Ten wonders again as he watches her join Sunyoung on the couch.

Jaehyun shrugs. “The world will never know,” he answers sagely.

Sicheng pauses from his mini fight with Yuta to stare Ten dead in the eye. “Ever considered the possibility that they’re not actually confusing at all, but you’re just exceptionally stupid?” The receptionist postulates sarcastically.

Ten swats in Sicheng’s general direction. “Well duh, but Jaehyun’s a PA so obviously he can’t be stupid. Therefore, women are just confusing, period.”

Whatever it is that Sicheng mutters under his breath in Mandarin, Ten thinks it’s better that he doesn’t ask.

Yuta brightly grins at Taeyong and Jaehyun, and that single action is enough to set all of Ten’s nerves on edge. Most people who don’t personally know Nakamoto Yuta may think he’s got the most beautiful smile in the world—which, admittedly, he does—but Ten knows him well enough to identify which smile that classifies as. This is the smile that’s deceptively dazzling but leads in to shit talk, and Ten already knows what’s coming.

“So did Ten ever tell you about the time his tie got stuck in the copier and—” Yuta begins, only to be cut off when Ten quite literally slaps his hand over Yuta’s mouth.

He brings his mouth close to Yuta’s ear and hisses, “If you tell them about that, I’llleak the video of you crying while giving Seungwan a lap dance to not just this building, but everyone involved with the company.”

Yuta pales at an astonishing rate. “You wouldn’t,” he whispers in fear.

Ten smirks. “Don’t underestimate me, buddy.”

“Um,” Taeyong speaks up. “You realize we can hear everything, right?”

 

_Johnny Seo to Ten_

_Johnny Seo: Everything alright over there? You look kind of stressed._

_Ten: Everything’s absofuckinglutely peachy, thanks for asking._

_Johnny Seo: Then why are you hiding under your desk? Why are Taeyong and Yuta shooting staples at you? What have you done now?_

_Ten: Hahahahaha :)_

_Johnny Seo: I’m concerned._

_Ten: Does that mean you’ll save me?_

_Johnny Seo: Hmmm…nah_

_Ten: BITCH_

_Johnny Seo: Sorry, Taeil just got back and his theory about being the human form of the moon is quite fascinating. That would explain why his eyes are so wide and he spaces out all the time._

_Ten: I literally don’t care about any of that._

_Johnny Seo: What a shame. Talk to you later!_

_Johnny Seo: By the way, you should probably know that Jaehyun and Sicheng are finding all the staplers in the room and bringing them over so Taeyong and Yuta never run out of ammo._

_Ten: Oh fuck me._

 

Ultimately, the sound of Doyoung striking a gong with all his might is what saves Ten from being pelted with staples. Where the fuck Doyoung got a gong from, Ten will never know, but for once in his life he’s thankful for the presence of Satan himself.

Taeyong and Yuta high five as the pride-wounded Ten crawls out from under his desk. “I really regret ever introducing you to each other,” Ten bemoans, wincing as he hears the sound of staples cracking under his shoes.

“Really? Because I think it was the best decision you ever made,” Yuta remarks with a shit-eating grin.

“Agreed. I found my Japanese counterpart because of you,” Taeyong beams.

Ten considers strangling the both of them. “I hate you,” he settles for instead.

“Mmhmm.”

“Sure, honey.”

“Hate to ruin the moment,” Sicheng interrupts without any real remorse in his voice. “But in case you’ve forgotten, Doyoung striking the gong means that it’s time to exchange gifts.”

Taeyong winces sympathetically. “Try not to kill anyone?” He offers helpfully.

Jaehyun watches on in amusement. “That may be easier said than done.”

“Shut up,” Ten whines.

Sure enough, the team members are gathered under the tree, talking animatedly as they pass around wrapped gifts. Ten, Sicheng, and Yuta all sigh in unison as they mentally brace themselves for what’s to come, reluctantly trudging towards the crowd.

Apparently, the usual antics have started early this year. Taeil’s jaw is dropped open in shock as he gapes at Chanyeol with an offended look on his face. “How _dare_ you?” Taeil screeches, waving what looks to be a a little wolf-lizard hybrid figurine in the air. “What on earth made you think this would be a good gift? How _could_ you? Oh my god, I have to quit, don’t I? I can't continue working in an office that promotes this type of behavior!”

Chanyeol takes a nervous step back, seeming to forget his noticeable height and age advantage. “But aren’t you into this kind of stuff, Taeil?” He attempts to placate the furious customer relations worker, but to no avail. “I mean, you’re always talking about the cryptids so I thought you’d like a replica of one of them.”

“Hyung,” Taeil growls threateningly. “If you had any shred of common sense you’d know _the Chupacabra isn’t fucking real_!”

“There goes any chance of this party not going to hell,” Yuta mutters under his breath. With a dramatic sigh, he plucks a messily wrapped box out from under the tree and hands it to Sicheng. “Anyway, Merry Christmas, Sichengie.”

Sicheng’s brows shoot all the way up to his hairline. “Who did you trade with?”

“That would be me,” Ten raises his hand. “The bitch practically stole your name, so it’s not like I voluntarily sacrificed you.”

“Wonderful,” Sicheng deadpans. Still, Ten doesn’t miss the fond glint in Sicheng’s eyes as he begins unwrapping the gift. 

Deciding that it’s better to give the secret couple some privacy, Ten strolls around in search of Seungwan. Other than Taeil’s outcry, Secret Santa actually seems to be going fairly well this year. He passes by Jeno gifting Jaemin a large pink Samoyed plushie, Baekhyun handing Mark some rap album, and Sunyoung presenting a still stricken Chanyeol with a new pair of headphones. For once, the majority of them actually seem to be in high spirits—maybe Christmas miracles are real after all.

Finally, he catches sight of Seungwan talking to Sooyoung. The latter’s holding a makeup palette in her hands, courtesy of the former. Ten taps on Seungwan’s shoulder to get her attention, choosing to ignore her greeting of “The fuck you want?”

“Merry Christmas, noona,” he responds, pulling a small, thin box out of his pocket and tossing it her way. “Treasure this gift forever, please.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Seungwan sasses. She tugs the hastily tied ribbon off and eagerly opens the box, eyes lighting up in delight when she sees what’s inside. “Oh wow, this is actually really pretty! I’ve underestimated you, dear Ten.”

“A simple ‘Thanks’ would’ve worked too, but you’re welcome anyway,” Ten rolls his eyes, satisfied with a job well done. “I spent a lot of time picking out the right one, so you’d better be grateful and start appreciating me.”

(Confession time: He’d actually completely forgotten about Secret Santa until two days ago, so he’d hastily ran to the nearest mall and frantically dashed around the women’s boutiques for an hour. At one point he’d considered winging it and just buying her a bottle of wine, but then he noticed a jewelry store and women love jewelry, right? So he’d dashed in, pointed at the first nice-looking necklace he laid eyes on, and shouted at the shop attendant that he wanted to buy it. 

The necklace cost more than he’d expected, but he didn’t have time to mourn the hole in his wallet. It wasn’t anything too fancy, with just a simple Pisces design piece on a silver chain. But he knew that Seungwan preferred simpler accessories, so he’d gone with it and prayed for the best. Thankfully, it looks like that was the right decision.)

As she busies herself with clasping the necklace on, Seungwan says, “Sorry Ten, but like I said, I traded your name for Soo’s. If I’d known you’d actually put effort into your gift though I wouldn’t have given you away.”

_Effort? Pfft_. “Nice to know,” Ten deadpans. “So who’s my Secret Santa, then?”

Seungwan’s smirk is quite possibly the most impish sight he’s ever seen in his life. “Why don’t you turn around and see for yourself?” She announces, placing her hands on his shoulders and forcefully turning him around.

The sight of Johnny standing before him with a perfectly wrapped box in his hands all but knocks the breath out of Ten’s lungs.

Ten’s always scoffed at those scenes in dramas where the heroine stares up at the male lead in amazement and the wind blows her hair just right and the sappy ballad starts playing, but he’s never related to her more than he does right now as Johnny Seo bends down to reach his height, a light smile on his lips. This is it, Ten thinks dimly. This is the moment where the first male lead gifts the heroine with something so touching she can’t help but fall in love even more, and then they’ll go off into the hallway and confess and kiss and—

“Doyoung wanted me to give this to you on his behalf.”

—nevermind.

Seungwan cackles at the sight of Ten’s crestfallen face. “That was even better than I thought!” She crows, quickly whipping out her phone to snap a picture.

Immediately, Ten’s disappointed expression morphs into one of immense irritation. “I can’t believe you gave my name to Doyoung of all people. Some friend you are,” Ten huffs, violently ripping apart the impeccable wrapping job.

“I’m offended that you think so lowly of me,” Seungwan gasps. “For the record, I traded with Johnny.”

Johnny waves cheerfully. “And then I traded with Doyoung.”

“Snakes,” Ten growls as he continues to aggressively tear away Doyoung’s work. “Can’t believe I trusted either of you when you backstabbed me so quickly. Really? _Doyoung_? Of all fucking people? That little bitch better have gotten me something good.”

Seungwan and Johnny exchange glances. “Um, before you decide to actually murder the guy, maybe you should remind yourself of what it means to be friends and then you’ll understand him a bit better?” Johnny suggests, chuckling nervously.

“Friends? I don’t want to be that guy’s friend,” Ten sniffs petulantly. Once-pretty wrapping paper strewn by his feet, Ten forces open the box with more force than necessary. “The fuck did he put in here, anyway? This thing feels hollow.”

“Um,” Seungwan sheepishly rubs the back of her neck. “Disclaimer: I had nothing to do with this. Just in case the police ask.”

Ten, however, doesn’t even hear her over the sound of his blood boiling in rage. 

Johnny shifts his weight from side to side. “I can pay bail,” he offers meekly.

“Good,” Ten grunts. Calmly, he hands the box over to Johnny and, without warning, lunges at a certain bunny-like man snickering a few feet away. “I’ll kill you!” Ten screeches as he chases Doyoung around the room.

Doyoung still manages to guffaw as he runs away. “It was worth it!” He retorts, picking up the speed as Ten gets closer.

Johnny and Seungwan stare at the two idiots running around, then at each other. Letting out a long, long sigh, Seungwan shakes her head and remarks, “I told you you shouldn’t have traded with the devil.”

“Eh,” Johnny shrugs, trying and failing to hide his amused grin. “It was worth it.”

“Oh, definitely.”

As Ten continues to chase and scream and Doyoung mocks him in return, Johnny and Seungwan clink their wine glasses together in a toast. Mission accomplished.

“Say,” Seungwan suddenly speaks up. “You think he’ll still want that chicken coupon? Because I’ve been collecting them for a while and I only need one more to get a free chicken.”

Johnny pauses to observe the way Ten throws whatever he can get his hands on at Doyoung. “It’s yours,” he decides, reaching into the discarded box for the singular coupon.

“Awesome, thanks.”

 

Just as Ten’s fingers are about to reach Doyoung’s neck, Jongdae snatches him by the collar and causes Ten to skid to a halt, losing momentum and falling flat on his ass.

“I think you need a time out,” Jongdae remarks, staring down at Ten patronizingly.

“But Dons—”

Jongdae lightly kicks him on the thigh. “I don’t care what Doyoung did; he can be evil, sure, but I’m willing to bet my life’s savings that you’re overreacting like usual. Now be a good adult and set an example for the kids.”

As if to prove his point, Jongdae gestures to his two kids hiding behind his legs, peering at Ten in curiosity. Jisung, however, is a bit braver, and swaggers up to Ten’s face, resting judgmental face intact. 

“Short,” Jisung accuses.

Ten’s eye twitches. “Didn’t your dad ever teach you manners?”

Jisung just stares at him, a challenge in his little eyes.

“Right. I guess not.”

Jongdae crouches down and pats both of them on the head. “I see Jisung’s learned to pick on people his own size,” the assistant manager marvels proudly.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re the worst father ever.”

“Ouch. You take that back right now or else I’m grounding you.”

“I’m twenty-seven; you can’t ground me.”

“Watch me, punk.”

So here Ten finds himself, banished to the balcony with nothing but a Christmas sweater to protect him from the chilly December air. His teeth chatter so hard he swears his skull vibrates, but Jongdae warned him not to set foot inside again until at least twenty minutes had passed. “Consider it your punishment for trying to kill you brother,” he’d said.

Ten had merely scoffed. “I’m gonna throw up if you ever refer to that satanspawn as my family ever again.”

“I thought Doyoung was Satan himself?”

“Go fuck yourself.”

Ten didn’t actually say that last part because he values his life, but he’d certainly wanted to. Damn that Jongdae.

Suddenly, the glass doors to the balcony slide open and a tall figure emerges. “Hi,” Johnny greets simply, shutting the door behind him. “Thought you could do with some company.”

“How kind of you to take pity on me,” Ten drawls sarcastically. “Guess you couldn’t live with the guilt of selling me out to Doyoung, huh”

Johnny lets out a laugh. “Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” he insists with a teasing grin.

Ten narrows his eyes. “He gave me a chicken coupon.”

“Don’t you like chicken?”

“It was literally one coupon.”

“Um, you can redeem it and get free food?”

“You need twenty to get a free chicken.”

Sheepishly, Johnny raises his hands in the air. “Okay okay, so it was that bad. I’m sorry for giving your name to the devil or Satan or Lucifer or whatever you call him. Apology accepted?”

“Apology not accepted,” Ten sulks.

Some emotion Ten can’t quite read passes through Johnny’s eyes. The tall man had the sense to shrug on a thin windbreaker before stepping outside, which of course he did because he’s always prepared like that. Damn him.

Johnny exhales before nudging Ten on the shoulder and murmuring, “Then maybe this will be enough?”

“What?” Ten blinks rapidly. “What do you mean?”

The next thing he knows, Johnny’s reaching into the pocket of his windbreaker and pulling out a small box. “I didn’t trade with Doyoung until last week, so I’d already gotten your present before then. Thought it would be waste to return it, so I figured I’d give it to you today, anyway,” he explains, sounding almost _shy_ as he presses the box into Ten’s palm.

Warmth creeps up the back of Ten’s neck. “Oh, you didn’t have to,” he blurts out, too flustered to care how high his voice sounds. “It’s just a silly tradition, you really didn’t have to get presents for more than one person. Seriously, I can’t accept this.”

“Ten,” Johnny interrupts gently. “Then just consider it as a thank you for being there for me six years ago.”

“Oh,” Ten replies lamely, throat dry as a desert. “Um. Okay. I guess. Sounds good.”

Hands trembling, he fumbles around for an embarrassingly long time before finally managing to flip the box open. For the second time that night, the air is knocked out of his lungs as he takes in Johnny’s gift. 

“You used to have a lot of piercings back in college,” Johnny explains quietly. “I thought you’d appreciate these even if you don’t wear as many as you used to.”

Ten all but tunes him out as he admires the set of silver earrings. Like the necklace he gave Seungwan, the earrings aren’t particularly fancy or complex, with the set only consisting of hoops, studs, and one slightly longer black accent piece for his lobe. Judging by the brand name on the box, however, Ten can guess that they weren’t particularly cheap.

“I-I didn’t think you’d remember stuff like this,” he mumbles, the warmth traveling to his cheeks. Back in college, he used to flaunt all eleven of his piercings with pride, but since entering workplace environments, he’s chosen to only wear standard lobe piercings to maintain a more professional appearances. Sometimes when he’s home he’ll stick in the others to make sure none of the holes close up, but he’s fairly sure it’s been years since Johnny last saw him with more than two piercings.

Johnny shuffles awkwardly. “Guess you could say I paid close attention,” he coughs.

“Yeah,” Ten breathes. “Guess you did.”

That brief moment they shared earlier felt like something straight out of a drama, but this? This feels so, so inexplicably _real._ Ten closes his eyes and suddenly he’s eighteen again, meeting an unfairly tall boy from the dance team for the first time. Then he’s twenty-one and hopping into a truck with the man he’s pined after for years, heading God knows where. And then it’s six months ago, when they laid eyes on each other for the first time since Ten slammed the truck door behind him and uttered, _Yeah right—see you never_.

This is real, and after nine and a half years of thinking of Johnny Seo as the one that got away, Ten will be damned before he lets him go again.

_Do it now or else you’ll regret it forever, coward._

With revitalized determination coursing through his veins, Ten opens his eyes and begins, “Hey, I—”

“There’s something—” Johnny speaks up at the same time.

As cliché as it is, both of them freeze and laugh. “You go first,” Ten insists, gesturing for Johnny to continue so he can buy himself more time to figure out the right words.

Johnny tilts his head to the side. “You sure?” He asks slowly, almost hesitantly. It’s almost as if he’s afraid of admitting what he has to say, but Ten brushes that off quickly. After all, what could possibly be so bad?

“Yeah yeah, just get on it with already,” he waves, suddenly feeling the urge to fan his face. Thank god it’s dark now so Johnny can’t see how pink he must be.

Reluctantly, Johnny purses his lips together and nods. But before he can even open his mouth, they’re interrupted by the sound of a body hitting the balcony door with a loud _thunk!_

With matching expressions of bewilderment, Ten and Johnny glance at each other, then slowly look down to find Nakamoto Yuta on the floor on the opposite side of the glass door, clutching his head in pain.

“Never mind me!” Yuta shouts, voice muffled through the door. “Just running away from Seungwan, nothing new. Carry on with your romantic talk.”

“Literally what the fuck,” Ten deadpans, eyeing his friend with distaste.

Yuta unsteadily rises to his feet. “You see, I’d explain but I can already hear Seungwan approaching so I gotta scram. See ya later, Ten!”

And with that, the puzzling creature known as Nakamoto Yuta is off and running into the distance.

“Literally what the fuck,” Ten repeats, absolutely dumbfounded by everything that happened in the last fifteen or so seconds.

Johnny bursts into laughter at Ten’s dumbstruck expression. “Man, if only you could see your face right now—wait! Hold that look, actually,” he exclaims, rummaging around his pockets for his phone. He taps on the screen a few times, then brightly announces, “Say cheese!” right before the flash nearly blinds Ten.

Unimpressed, Ten scowls up at the man he’s unfortunately very much in love with. “The fucking audacity,” he remarks stonily.

Johnny, that dumbass, is too busy chuckling at the picture to care. “This is a keeper for sure,” he grins, holding his phone over for Ten to see.

Personally, Ten agrees to disagree. First of all that fucking flash whitewashes him about ten shades too far, making him look like some insipid ghost. And that stupefied expression really isn’t flattering at all, what with how blank and unimpressed his eyes are and the way his mouth is parted in astonishment.

Quickly, he reaches out and taps the delete button. “I don’t think so, mister,” Ten shouts triumphantly.

“You realize deleted pictures can be recovered on iPhones, right?” Johnny quips, completely unbothered as his fingers dance across the screen. Proudly, he shows Ten the picture again. “Delete it all you want, but this is how I’m always going to remember you.”

“Motherfucker,” Ten glowers.

Johnny laughs as he pockets his phone, keeping the picture safe for now. For a moment he goes silent, watching the party scenes through the glass door. Currently, Doyoung’s got the interns trapped under the mistletoe, but it’s not like Jaemin minds very much as he smacks a kiss to his blushing boyfriend’s lips. Over in the taped-off kids’ corner, Chanyeol has a sleepy Jisung cuddled in his lap as Jungwoo and Yerim clamber over their father.

Perhaps it’s a trick of the light, but when Ten dares to sneak a look, he thinks Johnny’s expression looks rather rueful.

“Hey,” Ten speaks up, jolting Johnny’s attention back to him with a light touch to his arm. “You said you had something to say, right? What’s up?”

“Ah,” is all Johnny says in response. An empty, quiet, “Ah.”

Inside, the holiday tunes keep blaring and Jeno and Jaemin are making out a little too furiously and Jongdae’s screaming about something with his kids and Doyoung’s cackling about trapping another unfortunate pairing under the mistletoe and Yuta accidentally knocks a glass ornament off the tree as he runs away from Seungwan and Sicheng’s watching him in disapproval and none. Of. It. Matters. Nothing in the world matters except for the two of them perched on the balcony with only the starry sky and city lights as their witnesses, watching as Ten waits with bated breath for Johnny to say something— _anything_ , because anything at all would be better than this horrible, horrible silence.

When Johnny finally turns to face him, the corners of his lips are twisted wistfully. Quietly, almost inaudibly, he whispers, “I’m going back to Incheon in a month.”

Cue the sound of a record scratching, chalk dropping, glass breaking—all those cliché sound effects that spring up whenever the main character of a drama receives earth-shattering news. Except this isn’t some cheesy drama; this is Ten’s life, and this is as real as it gets.

With dread pooling in his stomach, Ten’s hands lunge out and grip at Johnny’s wrist. “No, you’re not,” he tries to reason, except it comes out as more a plea. “Y-you’ve still got six months left with us—you’re supposed to be here for a year, aren’t you? So you shouldn’t be leaving until the summer. _Right?_ ”

He knows he sounds pathetic—he can hear it in his voice and he can see the panicked look on his face in his reflection. But none of that matters because this isn’t real. This cannot be real. Johnny can’t just leave like this, ahead of time and so sudden and he _just can’t be leaving._ He can’t.

Except, by the way Johnny delicately covers Ten’s hand with his and only murmurs a soft, “I’m sorry,” Ten knows that he can and he will.

And just like that, his heart plummets and breaks into a thousand pieces.

“Something’s come up with the Incheon team,” Johnny’s explaining, but Ten is barely hearing the words that come out of his mouth. “Manager Hwang requested for me to come back for a bit, and then CEO Kim decided that this team has improved enough that you don’t need me anymore. My contract here got reduced and now I’m headed back to Incheon at the end of January instead of in the summer.”

It’s rather ironic, Ten thinks to himself wryly. Six and a half years ago they were stupid college students who barely knew other and were already running away to a reclusive cabin for a weekend. Now they’re fully fledged adults who’ve managed to kindle a long overdue friendship, except here they are again, Johnny dropping the bomb that he’s leaving right as Ten’s about to voice his feelings. How fucking ironic and utterly tragic.

“It’s not because I requested it, believe me. Manager Hwang wanted me to be back early this month, but I managed to convince her to let me stay for a bit longer.”

Huh. So he knew. The bastard knew for at least a month now that his time at Seoul would be cut short, yet he didn’t bother mentioning it at any prior point in time. Instead he went around with his grand declarations of wanting to be friends with Ten and coming to his apartment with chicken and beer and making up excuses so they could spend more time together and gifting him expensive earrings, and for what? Just for him to leave again? 

“I just want you to know that I really will miss it here. I’ve come to really love the people on this team and the family that’s accepted me. I wish I didn’t have to leave, but—”

That’s it. 

“Oh fuck off,” Ten cuts in, spitting his words out like poison. Johnny eyes widen as he reflexively takes a step back in shock, but Ten’s not about to let him escape like that. He tightens his hold on Johnny’s wrist and, through gritted teeth, snaps, “You wish you didn’t have to leave, huh? You don’t want to go? Then why the _fuck_ are you leaving anyway?”

Johnny lowers his head in shame. “Because I don’t have a choice.”

Ten scoffs. “Maybe you can’t just say no to your manager, but you know what I think? I think you’re clinging to the first excuse you can find to justify your flightiness. What are you so afraid of anyway? That you’ll finally find a place you actually like enough to stay in? What’s bad about that? Isn’t that what you’ve been searching for this whole time—for a place to call home? You told me that back then, and clearly you didn’t find a home when you went back to Chicago because otherwise you wouldn’t have moved to Incheon only a few years later. And as much as you tell me how you like your team there, obviously you still don’t feel satisfied, right? Because then you wouldn’t have accepted coming here for an entire year. If you really felt like you belonged in Incheon, you would’ve asked for someone else to be transferred.”

“You like it here, Johnny. I can tell you do, and you know how? Because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have taken my advice and tried to be more involved in the team. You wouldn’t be all buddy buddy with the interns or hang out with the rest of us outside of work if you didn’t like us. You wouldn’t be putting nearly this much effort into a bunch of people you don’t like—you _like_ being with us, and that’s why you asked to stay a little longer. You _want_ to stay here, because you’ve finally found your people, right? Because you connect with us better than you have with anyone before?”

Gasping for breath, Ten squeezes Johnny’s wrist even harder and takes a step closer. If he cranes his neck back, he can see Johnny’s face again—can see the sorrow and conflict painted across his brows and eyes and lips. He can see that he’s right.

“Back at that cabin, you told me that you didn’t have anywhere to call home. A few months ago, you said you didn’t want to get too close with us because it would only complicate things,” Ten reminds quietly. Swallowing, he musters away the tears in his eyes and whispers, “So tell me then, did it complicate things when you found us? Did you find your home?”

The silence is answer enough.

Ten tries for a laugh, wincing at how mangled and twisted it sounds when it finally comes out. “God, this is so stupid,” he sniffles, furiously wiping at his eyes and nose. “I feel like I can never take a step forward without being pushed back about a hundred. You’re so fucking infuriating, you know that, Johnny Seo?”

“That’s me,” Johnny agrees mirthlessly. Still, he manages to crack the smallest of smiles. “Certified pain in the ass John Seo at your service.”

The jewelry box digs into Ten’s palm when he balls his free hand into a fist. Ridiculous and horrible of a joke as that may have been, Johnny never fails to surprise him. Looks like that much hasn’t changed, either.

_It’s now or never,_ the voice in his head reminds.  _If you don’t do this now, then you’ll never stop regretting it._

So he slips his hand down and carefully laces their fingers together. Doesn’t once tear his gaze away from Johnny’s somber eyes and takes one last deep breath. 

“I still have feelings for you,” Ten confesses at last. “And I think you still like me, too.”

A tear slides down Johnny’s cheek. “You’re right,” he chokes out in a hushed voice right before he curls his free arm around Ten’s shoulders and pulls him close, resting his chin on top of Ten’s head as he inhales and exhales like his life depends on it. 

"You've always been right, Ten."

Ten didn’t think he’d be one for emotional, tearjerking confessions, but he can’t stop the flood of tears that escape and stain Johnny’s shirt. He’s never liked being vertically challenged, but with his head just barely reaching Johnny’s jaw and his arm wrapped around the other’s waist, he finds that he rather enjoys burying his face against Johnny’s collarbone and letting out all the emotions that are long overdue. 

After falling in love nine years ago, getting his heart broken six years ago, and reuniting half a year ago, here they finally are: open and honest and brave. Here they are.

The only problem? Ten doesn’t know where _here_ even is, or where they’re going to next.

With his mouth against the hollow of Johnny’s throat, Ten whispers, “So what do we do now?”

Johnny tightens his hold on Ten’s narrow frame. “I don’t know,” he admits sadly. “I don’t have a fucking clue.”

The more rational parts of Ten’s brain tell him to pull back and force them to talk things out, to confront what’s been holding them back all these years and finally come up with a concrete solution. Figure all this shit out now so they don’t end up running away again or regretting anything.

But he doesn’t know where they are or where they’re going, so he stays right where he is.

He’ll be damned if he chooses this to be the moment to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof.
> 
> Edit: Also quick note but I'm a dumbass who forgot that Incheon is literally right next to Seoul when I first started this story, so let's just all pretend for my dignity that it's a little farther away in real life and Ten and Johnny aren't just being overdramatic (I mean they're overdramatic anyway but details details)


	11. Seungwan is the best big sister ever, Baekhyun finds a dream, and Ten chokes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> buckle up because this is a long one oh boy

_It’s pitch dark by the time Johnny’s truck pulls to a stop outside the dorms. The streetlights flicker weekly, barely shedding any light on the sidewalk. A scene straight out of a horror movie, except the brisk night air seems a lot more inviting than being in the same space as Johnny Seo._

_Ten clutches his bag to his chest and fumbles for the door handle. “Well, that was fun,” he mutters hurriedly, internally cursing at how painfully awkward he sounds._

_“Right,” Johnny echoes listlessly. “Fun.”_

_The tension in the air is so thick and stifling Ten’s chest constricts in pain. Swallowing and mustering up a weak smile, he says, “Thanks for, um, everything, I guess. Have a nice graduation. I won’t be there but don’t trip and fall or anything when you get your diploma, I guess.”_

_Johnny coughs out a short, uncomfortable laugh. “Duly noted,” he dips his head. When he looks up, Ten almost swears he sees_ hope _shining in his eyes. Hope, of all fucking things._

_“I’ll see you again?” Johnny dares to ask._

_Ten’s grip on the handle tightens._ No _, he thinks bitterly._ No, you will not see me again _._ You already lost your chance when you rejected me.

_“Yeah, right,” he scoffs, pushing open the door with all his might. And then, because he’s still a child at heart, snaps, “See you never,” as he slams it behind him._

_He doesn’t bother looking back. Dimly, he’s aware of the sound of the engine whirring and the crunch of tires on asphalt as Johnny drives away, but still Ten refuses to spare that stupid, stupid man one last glance. Because fuck him. Fuck him and Chicago and leaving and whisking Ten off to some fairytale cabin and that perfect lake and just. Fuck. It. All._

_If he could turn back time, he’d go find his freshman self and slap him across the face. Tell him, “Don’t bother with that boy—nothing will ever come of it and you’ll only get your heart broken.” No, actually—he’d go back three days and whisper, “Don’t say yes.” Don’t take Johnny Seo’s hand and get into his car and fall in love all over again as you get to really know him for the first time. Decline and go back to bed and study for Econ and make breakfast with Taeyong, whatever. Just don’t say yes._

_Perhaps he’s being overdramatic, but he doesn’t care. He’s just been indirectly rejected; cut him some slack._

One last sigh _, he tells himself. One last sigh over that stupid boy and then no more. Wasting his breath on someone he’ll never be with isn’t worth it._

_So he breathes out and then in, and as he inhales he straightens his back and swears to shove those childish feelings down somewhere they’ll never rise back from. It’s not a big deal; Johnny’s just a boy, nothing more. Ten can get over a boy, easy. He's done so before and Johnny Seo is no different._

_Taeyong pounces on him the second he opens the door, and that’s all it takes to clear his mind for the time being._

 

Ten’s in the midst of typing up Jeno’s monthly report when his phone buzzes. Frowning—he’d been on a roll and was almost done with the evaluation—Ten picks it up and checks the message, ready to sass whomever dared disturb him.

 

_Johnny Seo to Ten_

_Johnny Seo: [attachment]_

_Johnny Seo: Remember these two?_

 

Staring up at him is a selfie of Johnny with two vaguely familiar men. With a jolt, Ten recognizes them as handsome-in-a-strict-way Oh Sehun and doe-eyed Ji Hansol—AKA, the dance captain and vice captain during sophomore year, AKA Johnny’s two best friends from school. Ten was never particularly close with either of them outside of dance team, and he certainly had never expected to see them again after they graduated. 

 

_Ten: Hahaha yeah. Wow, it’s been a while. Tell Hansol-hyung and Sehun-hyung I say hi._

_Ten: If they remember me, that is._

_Johnny Seo: Don’t be silly—of course they remember you_

_Ten: They do?_

_Johnny Seo: I mean Hansol used to like Taeyong, you were the prodigy of your year, and I talked about you a lot hahaha_

_Johnny Seo: [attachment]_

_Johnny Seo: Sooyoung and Seulgi are here too!_

 

Ten freezes mid-text. There Johnny goes again, saying something so unashamedly honest about his feelings one second, then diverting the point to something else entirely the next. Looks like some things really never change.

 

_Ten: Oh wow. Tell Seulgi-noona I say hi, too. It’s been what, eight years since I last saw all of them? Time flies._

_Ten: Where even are you guys, anyway?_

_Johnny Seo: Take a guess lol_

 

Rolling his eyes, Ten’s about to type back a snarky retort demanding how exactly he’s supposed to guess based off of two (admittedly well-taken) basic photos. And then he takes a closer look at the picture of Seulgi and Sooyoung and does a double take. It’s been almost seven years, but he swears he knows that painting of a flowerpot behind Seulgi’s head…

 

_Ten: Hansol-hyung’s family cabin?_

_Johnny Seo: Bingo!_

_Ten: Why wasn’t I invited to the party, HUH? Too ashamed to bring me there unless it's just the two of us?_

_Ten: That was a joke by the way. Like I’d ever hang out people that much cooler than me lol_

_Johnny Seo: Can I tell you something? It might sound mean but still._

_Ten: Yeah, shoot. What’s up?_

_Johnny Seo: Well, I was gonna ask if you wanted to join me but I figured you’d say no anyway so I didn’t._

 

Oh.

 

_Ten: Ah. I see._

_Ten: Talk to you later. I’ve gotta finish writing Jeno’s evaluation. Have fun with your friends._

 

He sets down his phone with more force than necessary, well aware of how petty he’s acting. Guilt washes over Ten as he attempts to write about Jeno’s strengths and weaknesses. _You’re being unfair_ , his conscience chides. _He’s not wrong, is he? You wouldn’t have gone anyway, so stop sulking._

Ten knows that much is true. Even though he was on friendly terms with Hansol, Sehun, and Seulgi in school, he wouldn’t have felt comfortable at such an intimate gathering with them. Johnny was only trying to spare Ten the guilt of saying no, which is so infuriatingly considerate of him. So why can’t Ten shake the disappointed feeling off his chest?

As he’s backspacing the very intellectual sentence of “Lee Jeno works hard, but not nearly as hard as he gets for Na Jaemin”, the sudden shrill ringing of his phone shocks him. It takes one look at the caller ID for Ten to resign to his fate and save his work, already knowing he won’t be getting that done tonight. Dragging a hand through his hair, he chews on his lip before reluctantly picking up the phone.

“Hey,” he greets as cheerily as he can, cringing at how obviously fake he sounds. “How are you? Why are you calling me when you’re at a party?”

“The better question,” Johnny replies, tone a mix of snarky and concerned, “is why you’re writing intern evaluations on Christmas Eve.”

Ah. That’s a valid point. And Ten unfortunately doesn’t have an answer that won’t make him look absolutely pitiful.

“I’m, uhhhh, trying to get ahead?” He offers lamely. Damn, he could really do with a drink right about now.

Johnny clearly doesn’t buy it. “That report isn’t due until the middle of next month.”

“Oh, so being productive is a crime now? Sue me!” Ten sasses.

He expects a laugh or some smart retort, but instead all he gets in response is silence. _Shit_ , Ten swears internally, ready to bang his head against his laptop. If his cover weren’t already blown, then now it’s completely ruined.

Johnny’s voice is soft when he speaks up again. “Ten,” he says, delicately dragging out the single syllable. “How are you feeling?”

Ten grimaces. “I’m _fine_ ,” he insists pathetically.

“Okay, so that’s the defensive reflex talking. Now tell me how you’re _really_ feeling.”

Those words would’ve sounded overly patronizing coming from any other person, but this is Johnny Seo Ten’s talking to here. Awkward and goofy, yet undeniably kind and caring Johnny Seo who may seem blunt with his words but ultimately means no harm. 

Considering how petty he’s been acting, Ten figures he owes the Johnny the truth. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he gets up and makes his way over to his makeshift mini bar. The truth comes more easily when served with a drink. “I guess I’ve just been conflicted these days,” Ten explains vaguely, contemplating over which bottle to open. He settles on the Chardonnay and pops it open, says, “I don’t know, everyone’s busy right now so I figured some time alone would be nice. Except then I got bored real fast so now I kinda regret it.”

“Did I just hear you opening a wine bottle?” Johnny asks, suspicion lacing his voice.

Ten pauses with the bottle halfway up to his lips. “Noooooooooooo.”

“Dude. I know you’re about to drink straight from the bottle because you’re uncultured like that.”

“Did you just ‘dude’ zone me?”

“Oops. Force of habit.”

“You sure you aren’t actually straight?”

“Don’t offend me like that.”

“Sure, _dude_.”

Johnny’s laughter bursts out the speaker. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Ten,” he remarks fondly.

Ten can’t help the flush that travels up his neck. “Shut up, you nerd. That wasn’t even very funny,” he grumbles, hastily gulping down some wine to steady himself (how ironic).

“Ten, I can _hear_ you swallowing. Did you just drink half the bottle at once?”

“Screw you—it wasn’t even a quarter!” Ten retaliates.

Johnny chuckles again. “If you say so.”

“Well I do say so,” Ten huffs under his breath despite the smile on his lips. “Thank you very much for your concern, Mr. Seo. Anything else you want to shame me for tonight?”

“I bet you never changed out of your pajamas, right?”

Ten self-consciously tugs at his white sleeping shirt that he’d spilled coffee on earlier. “That’s false.”

“Mmhmm. Whatever you say, Ten,” Johnny teases. Then, in a much deeper and more serious tone, he adds, “Are you feeling better now?”

And there he goes again, catching Ten off guard like it’s his job. Ten sucks in a breath and brings the wine bottle back to his lips, only to decide that no, he will be a proper adult and actually confront his problems head on, and sets the bottle down. “I mean,” he replies carefully, not quite sure if he has a good answer—or one at all—to the question. “I guess I still feel kind of lonely right now, but it’s fine.”

“Taeyong and Jaehyun are busy? What about the others?”’

Ten shrugs, then remembers that Johnny can’t see him. “Yong and Jae are spending Christmas with Yong’s family. They invited me too, but I said no because it’s their first Christmas together since they got engaged and I didn’t want to intrude or anything. Seungwan’s also with her parents today, and I don’t know what Yuta’s doing but I’m pretty sure he and Sicheng are spending the day together. So, yeah. That’s why I’m alone now.”

Johnny hums in thought. “I’m really sorry, Ten. I thought you’d have plans, but if I’d known I would’ve invited you or stayed back to hang out. I feel guilty for assuming stuff,” he laments apologetically.

“Hey now, don’t be like that,” Ten insists. “I would’ve felt guilty if I’d made you stay here with me, so it’s fine.”

A pause, then, “Right,” Johnny replies slowly. “Guess we’ve got to work on that whole guilt thing, then.”

Ten’s nails dig into his palm. “Yeah, we do,” he agrees listlessly.

The line goes silent. Distantly, Ten can hear the sounds of loud chatter and laughter, which he assumes belongs to Johnny’s friends. Seulgi always had a particularly distinctive laugh, if he remembers correctly. So did Sehun.

At last, Johnny exhales and says, “I should get back to the others right now. Sorry for not being able to talk longer.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Ten squirms, itching to down the rest of the Chardonnay in one go. “Just, uh, have fun, okay? We can always talk more when you get back—oh wait, you’re spending New Years with them, right?”

The guilt in Johnny’s tone doesn’t make him feel much better. “I am. I’m really sorry—we planned this a while ago and it would’ve been bad if I flaked at the last second. And I know you’re about to tell me to stop feeling guilty again, but I just am. Really sorry.”

A cold fist squeezes Ten’s heart. “It’s okay,” he reassures, wondering if the words sound more convincing over the phone than they do in his head. “I’m not mad or anything, okay? We’re good. Let’s just…let’s just talk when we get back to work? No more running away, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Johnny responds quietly. “Yeah. No more running away.”

Ten lets out a breath of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Good,” he nods. “Now go have fun. Tell Seulgi I’m always down for a dance battle.”

“Will do,” Johnny promises, the smile in his voice audible. “I’ll see you soon, Ten. Bye, and merry Christmas Eve.”

“Bye. You too.”

He nearly lets a _love you_ slip out, but the line goes dead before the words can form. Which is both a blessing and a curse, because now Ten’s left alone with nothing but a bottle of Chardonnay and a half-finished report blinking at him.

_Happy fucking holidays_ , he thinks sardonically as he takes a swig of wine.

 

 

“Merry Christmas!”

Ten blinks very, very slowly. Then, with measured grace, reaches over and closes the door.

Seungwan, however, is either smarter or faster (or both, honestly) than him and catches the door with her foot before it can close all the way. “First of all, rude,” she sniffs, unbothered as she shoves her way into the apartment. “Second of all, nice pajamas. I didn’t know Hello Kitty was still popular.”

Groaning, Ten drags a hand through his hair and grumbles, “They were a gag gift from my sister, okay? Let me live, woman.”

“Don’t ‘woman’ me, bitch,” Seungwan retorts without missing a beat, walking past him like she owns the place.

Ten is forced to helplessly trail after her as she sets down some plastic bags he hadn’t noticed earlier on his coffee table. “What are you doing here, anyway? It’s Christmas,” he points out, eyeing her skeptically as she plops down on his couch.

Seungwan nonchalantly shrugs her coat off and throws it on a nearby armchair. “Well you see, I _was_ going to spend the day with my parents and listen to them lambast me for still being single, but then I remembered I have a dear friend who’s spending his Christmas all alone because he’s a sad emo like that. So I figured, hey, why not make his life a little less miserable by gracing him with my presence?”

“If anything, you make my life more miserable,” Ten can’t resist remarking.

As usual, his sassy comment is ignored. “Because I’m such a great friend, I even stopped by three different restaurants to get takeout,” Seungwan continues, gesturing to the bags on the table. “You know how hard it is to find good restaurants that are open on Christmas day? Appreciate me a little more, pipsqueak.”

Ten furrows his brow. “What’d you get so much food for?”

“Because we’re having a Christmas feast,” Seungwan responds as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. She starts untying the bags and removing takeout boxes, says, “Now get your ass over here and turn on the TV. I’m feeling a Disney princess marathon, how about you?”

“Noona,” Ten deadpans. “You literally just invited yourself over and you think you can bribe me with food like that? Think again, ‘cause I’m not that easy—”

Calmly, Seungwan opens one of the boxes. The second the scent of spicy, artery-clogging fried chicken wafts through the air, Ten knows this is a battle he won’t win.

“Fine,” he concedes, flopping down next to her in surrender. “You can stay. But only until the food is gone. And we’re not allowed to watch Aladdin because Jafar gives me the creeps.”

“Oh, stop being such a baby. But while we’re on that note, no Snow White either.”

“But isn’t that like, the classic of all classics?”

“So? I’m not standing for any weak ass princesses who spend most of the movie asleep. Speaking of which, we need to can Sleeping Beauty too.”

“Right.”

 

_Son Seungwan to Johnny Seo_

_Son Seungwan: Because I know you’re bound to be worried, I’m here to tell you that he’s alright. Looked a little down when I barged in, but he seems to be feeling better now._

_Son Seungwan: [attachment]_

_Son Seungwan: He just cried when Ray the firefly died, but otherwise I’d say he’s doing fine._

_Johnny Seo: Wait what? Why are you at his place? Is he okay?_

_Son Seungwan: Tsk tsk tsk_

_Son Seungwan: Because as much as I love to roast the hell out of him, he’s still one of my best friends and I don’t want him to feel lonely or bottle all his thoughts in on Christmas. Now I know you’re about to feel guilty or whatever because you’ll think it’s your fault that he’s alone for the holidays, but stop the pity parties already. Yuta, Taeyong and I have been trying to invite him to things all break but he keeps declining and insisting that he’d be too much of a burden, so I took matters into my own hands and went to him._

_Johnny Seo: I’m really glad he has a friend like you in his life, Seungwan._

_Son Seungwan: Yeah, I’m a fucking godsend, everyone knows it already._

_Johnny Seo: Thanks for telling me how he’s doing, but if you don’t mind me asking…why?_

_Son Seungwan: Look, I’m no idiot. He hasn’t told me much about whatever’s going on between the two of you, but I can tell when he’s thinking too much about something that really isn’t that complicated. And I can also tell when he’s thinking about a guy, so I put two and two together and figured out that you’re the culprit._

_Son Seungwan: What I’m trying to say is; get your shit together. Both of you need to, because I guarantee that whatever the problem is, it’s not nearly as hard to find a solution as you think. I’m not gonna intervene too much because it’s not my place and I barely know anything, but if you make Ten sad I won’t hesitate to run you over with my car, toss your corpse down the shredder, then hurl your remains all the way back to America._

_Son Seungwan: Got it? :)_

_Johnny Seo: …_

_Johnny Seo: Again, I’m glad he’s got a friend like you._

_Son Seungwan: Good. My work here is done._

_Son Seungwan: Anyway, gotta go. We’re about to watch Tangled. I’ll send you a video when he cries at Flynn’s death._

_Johnny Seo: Um actually I think that’s okay._

_Son Seungwan: Pfft, suuuuuuuuuure._

 

“Y’know, I really identify with Maximus. I think he’s my spirit animal,” Ten remarks through a mouthful of jjajangmyeon. 

Seungwan snorts so hard she spits out her chicken. “You, Maximus? Please—Doyoung would be Maximus and you’d be his Flynn, except you’re not actually anything like Flynn. I’d say you’re more of a Rapunzel. Better yet, a Pascal.”

Ten throws her an unimpressed glare. “Don’t even mention that cursed name in my apartment. I’m gonna have to throw holy water to purify the place now.”

“I mean,” Seungwan smirks as she takes an extra large bite of the drumstick in her hands. “Technically you’ve got Dons to thank, since I stole that coupon he gave you for Secret Santa. It’s all thanks to him that I could get a free chicken.”

Immediately, Ten pokes the chicken box away from him. “Hellspawn,” he spits, a shiver crawling up his spine at the thought of Kim Doyoung’s evil smiling face.

Seungwan just rolls her eyes.

On the TV, the final few minutes of the movie tick down as Rapunzel finally reunites with her parents. Ten watches as the scene jumps to her greeting the people as a princess, then grabs Flynn (or Eugene, but whatever) and kisses him. Tangled ranks high on his list of all time favorite Disney movies, but for some reason, the final scene doesn’t sit quite right with him this time.

“Hey,” he says, poking Seungwan with his foot as the ending credits roll. “You ever wonder what happens to them after? Like, now they’re finally together and she’s with her parents again, but what next?”

Seungwan hums in thought, taking the time to toss the stripped-clean bone in the trash and wipe the grease off her fingers. “Isn’t there a whole TV series that comes next? I’m pretty sure there was also that short about Rapunzel and Flynn getting married? And then they make a cameo in Frozen, so it’s safe to say they turn out alright.”

Appetite lost, Ten sets his food down and rapidly shakes his head. “That’s not what I mean,” he sighs, racking his mind for the best way to voice his thoughts. What even _is_ he thinking, anyway? 

He slumps further down on the couch and with a troubled sigh, tries again. “Why do all these movies end once the couple gets together? Like we get all the buildup, but then what? We’re just supposed to trust the whole ‘happily ever after’ scheme and think they really were happy the rest of their lives? What about all the in-between stuff? Why don’t we ever see them learn how to, I don’t know, file joint taxes together or fight about the best ways to parent or who has to do which chores?”

“Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought,” Seungwan comments neutrally. She barely bats an eye as she reaches for the bowl of popcorn they’d made a couple movies ago, casually grabbing a fistful of overly-buttered junk food.

Ten shrugs pathetically. “Guess I’ve been feeling angsty these days,” he mumbles.

His companion merely hums again. Seungwan always does that when she’s deep in thought, Ten’s noticed. She’s got a voice worthy of a Disney princess, and hearing her light humming is enough to soothe his frayed edges just a little.

“Well,” Seungwan muses, tapping her fingers against the bowl as she thinks. “The way I see it, why not end it there? I know that getting together is just the beginning, but sometimes it’s better to leave things on a good note. It’s like, you know that feeling when you’re watching a drama and you’re all happy and excited when the leads get together in episode ten, except oh shit, there are still six episodes left so that means they’re bound to break up over some unnecessary shit at some point, only to get back together in the last couple episodes? That's why I never actually finish dramas and stop watching once the couple gets together the first time. Why not spare the gory details and just reiterate the point that they’re all happy and in love?”

“But isn’t that unrealistic?” Ten points out, frustration nagging at his insides. “Wouldn’t it be better to show what happens next? So then people could have more realistic expectations?”

Seungwan shakes her head. “Because the exciting part is the will-they-won’t-they. Whatever happens next? That’s the boring part. I for one would just like to know if they end up together or not without having to watch the in between.”

“Besides,” she says, rounding on him with serious, narrowed eyes. “What’s all this about, anyway? I don’t remember giving you permission to open emo hours, so why are you being so angsty right now? Why does it matter so much what happens next? Did Tangled really send you into an existential crisis?”

Softly, she adds, “Is this about Johnny?”

If it were anyone else calling him out so bluntly, Ten would’ve squirmed in discomfort and immediately changed the subject. But this is Seungwan he’s talking to—sarcastic and fiery-mouthed, yet also the best big sister he could’ve asked for—and she’s no fool; she’s always been able to read Ten better than most people, so it comes as no surprise that she’s so quick to pick up on the real cause of Ten’s distress.

Taking his silence as a yes, Seungwan runs a hand through her hair, only to curse when she realizes she used the greasy and butter-stained hand. As she attempts to wipe her hair with a napkin, she says, “Look, I don’t know exactly what kind of history you share with Johnny Seo or what’s going on with him now, and I won’t ask. But I know you like each other because I’m not blind. I also know that he’s going back to his Incheon team in a month, so I’m guessing that’s what you’re upset about, right?”

She really does know him all too well. Ten lowers his gaze, cheeks flushing as he realizes just how stupid the problem sounds once someone else has guessed it so easily. “Maybe,” he huffs, too embarrassed to admit his own dumbness.

He steels himself for Seungwan’s usual sarcasm, but the concern on her face only grows. “Ten, you realize Incheon is like, literally half an hour away, right? An hour by train, but that’s still nothing. I’d hardly consider that a long distance relationship—you’d be able to see him every weekend, or even every day since the commute is so short,” she reminds.

Suddenly, Ten finds his hands rather interesting. Have his palms always been this pale? Amazing. “That’s just the thing, though,” he admits quietly, the blush traveling further up his face. “Like, I _know_ Incheon is literally right next to Seoul and it’s not the end of the world that we won’t be living in the same city, but still. I…I guess I’m just not sure if our feelings for each other are genuine, or if they only sparked up because we met again. Is that stupid?”

Seungwan doesn’t even hesitate to deadpan, “Yeah, it’s pretty stupid.”

Ah, yes. There’s the big sister he knows and loves.

The tension in the air clears away as she casually tosses some popcorn into her mouth. Mouth full, she manages to scold, “Why would you doubt your feelings like that? Despite what you may think, feelings aren’t that fickle. Simply seeing someone you used to like isn’t enough to trigger whatever emotions you’ve been feeling since the summer. It only works like that if you still like them. Case in point: me and Jongdae. I lost touch with him for years before meeting up again at the office, and if you think I felt anything for him you’re wrong.”

She’s got a point, but that’s not enough to completely douse Ten’s worries. He wonders if he could actually shrink into his couch if he tries hard enough, then chastises himself for being so childish. _No more running away_ , right? That’s what he and Johnny promised each other earlier, and like hell is he about to back out of the vow after only a day.

“He always leaves, you know,” Ten murmurs, squeezing his hands together so tight his knuckles burn. So quietly he almost can’t hear himself, he confesses, “And I’m afraid that after Incheon, he’ll just leave again. Because that’s what always happens.”

He squeezes his eyes shut and inhales sharply. There, he finally said it. The simple, short reason why he doesn’t know what to do anymore. Maybe Johnny’s only going to Incheon this time, but who’s to say that’s where he stops? What if he decides Incheon isn’t enough of a home for him but he doesn’t want to come back to Seoul? Where will he go next? Back to Chicago? To some other foreign country? Would he still have the same feelings for Ten once he leaves?

Ten’s watched enough movies to have the whole “If you love someone let them go, and if they were ever yours then they’ll come back to you” cliché engrained in his mind. Right now, there are a few things he’s one hundred percent sure of. He knows he loves Johnny and has for years now. He also knows that Johnny loves—or at least _likes_ —him back for just as long. But Ten’s not sure if he’s willing to start anything only to have to let Johnny go again. If Johnny goes, how long will it be until they see each other again? Another six years? Never?

In that case, maybe they were never each others’ after all. Maybe—

His painfully depressing thoughts are interrupted by the disturbing sensation of butter pelting his face.

Seungwan’s glare is positively murderous as she flings another handful of popcorn at him. “Oh my fucking god, I knew you were hopeless and oblivious, but this is something else entirely. Jesus Christ—Jesus fucking Christ, how stupid can you be? Why do I even bother with you?”

“What?” Ten snaps defensively, furiously scrubbing away the butter stains on his cheeks. “It’s not that unrealistic! He hasn’t had problems leaving before, so who’s to say he won’t leave again and again?”

“Did you ever consider that maybe he’s been searching for a reason to stay?” Seungwan retorts shrilly. “That maybe he leaves for a reason? That he wants to find somewhere to stay but there’s always been something missing? Of course you haven’t because you’ve been too busy moping all this time. Whatever; the point is, if you don’t want him to leave, then tell him you want him to stay!”

Is that really possible? For a split second, Ten dares himself to imagine asking Johnny to stay and give him a chance, but then the more nihilistic part of his mind blows that hope away. _Making him stay won’t necessarily make him happy_ , he reasons. _People won’t change just like that._

“It’s not that simple,” Ten argues feebly.

“Yes, it’s exactly that simple,” Seungwan dismisses, flippantly shoving more popcorn into her mouth. “Look, Ten; I don’t care if you’ve never taken my advice before, but this is the one time I’m asking you to actually listen to me because I’m about to dish out the cold, hard truth.”

“You could ask him to stay here in Seoul, but that won’t work. Not because he doesn’t want to—he’s contractually obligated to go back to Incheon. But so what? Plenty of couples do the commute because it’s so short it’s almost laughable. So clearly it’s not a matter of him going to Incheon that you’re afraid of; you’re afraid he’ll grow bored of you and run somewhere far away. In that case, if you really want to be with him, _make it work_! At least give a relationship a shot and see how it works—hell, just _talk_ to him first before you even do that. Because you’re not gonna solve anything by spending your holiday alone and moping, Ten. You’ve got to take control of your own life at some point, because that’s what adults do. I’ll support you no matter what, but I won’t hesitate to kick your ass if I see you moping again when the solution is so obvious.”

“So it’s about time you finish up this pity party and take some initiative, dummy,” Seungwan finishes, vehemently slamming the popcorn bowl on the coffee table.

Dumbstruck, Ten can only focus on the popcorn that spills out of the bowl. Now that he thinks about it, there’s an awful lot of popcorn decorating his couch too, courtesy of Seungwan.

“You’re cleaning this shit up,” he accuses, flicking wayward pieces off his shirt in disgust.

Seungwan responds by snatching another fistful and forcefully shoving the popcorn into his mouth. “It’s your own fault for being so emotionally constipated,” she argues. Still, Ten doesn’t miss the brief smile that graces her lips—her work here is done.

Through a mouthful of popcorn, Ten manages to mutter, “Next movie?”

“Hell yeah,” Seungwan grins. “Except not Frozen. If I have to watch that overrated piece of crap one more time I’ll punch your TV.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ten salutes sarcastically.

At the end of the day, he’s got at least one person who can knock some sense into him—and thank god for that.

 

_Son Seungwan to Johnny Seo_

_Son Seungwan: [attachment]_

_Son Seungwan: Like I said, he always cries at this part._

_Johnny Seo: Holy shit he actually looks so sad. He’s that emotionally invested in the movie?_

_Son Seungwan: Oh yes he is. Says Flynn was one of his first sexual awakenings._

_Johnny Seo: …_

_Son Seungwan: :D_

_Johnny Seo: Sometimes I question how good of a friend you actually are._

_Son Seungwan: Fair enough._

 

Taeyong clutches his hand so tightly Ten can feel every one of the former’s knobby joints digging into his palm. Oh, how he’s missed his best friend and those Pinocchio hands.

“I really am sorry,” Taeyong apologizes profusely, large eyes regretful.

Ten rolls his eyes in good nature. “And for the hundredth time, you don’t have to apologize. I’m not mad at you at all, Yong. It’s not like you can help it, anyway,” he points out.

Taeyong brings his free hand up to his mouth to chomp down on his nails. He’s had that bad habit for as long as Ten’s known him and no matter how much his friends chastise him for it, Taeyong’s never quite been able to kick it.

“I know it’s out of my control,” Taeyong frets, frustration lacing his voice. “But I still can’t help but feel like I’ve been such a terrible friend. I mean, this is the first time we’ve seen each other since the summer and I told you I’d be here until New Years, but now…aghhhhh,” he lets out a groan, flopping onto the bed and childishly kicking his skinny legs up and down.

A couple hours ago, Ten woke up to a barrage of texts from Taeyong. He’d been half-asleep when he read them, but he got the general gist of it: Jaehyun got an emergency text from his physician in charge telling him that they needed him back, so he’d driven to Jeonju early that morning, thinking it wouldn’t take more than a day. Except, lo and behold, Jaehyun arrived to find the hospital understaffed with doctors on vacation and out sick, so the head physician was reaching out to all the PAs in hopes of getting that extra support. Naturally, Jaehyun had been irritated and frustrated, but he agreed out of the goodness of his heart to cut his break short and get back to work. 

The only problem is that the couple only took one car and there wasn’t much point to their holiday plans anymore now that one of them wasn’t there. Jaehyun suggested for Taeyong to spend some time with Ten and catch up with him, but Ten’s small, single bedroom apartment wasn’t exactly ideal. Besides, Ten was due back at the office in the matter of days and had a lot of work he still needed to catch up on beforehand, so it wasn’t like he could entertain Taeyong very well. So he told his best friend to head back to Jeonju early and help out the overworked Jaehyun, insisting that it was the best option for all parties involved.

That’s not to say Taeyong’s completely on board with the decision, though. Currently, he’s just finished packing and purchasing his train ticket while Ten hangs around the hotel room. It’s rather amusing, Ten thinks to himself, watching Taeyong bustle around the room in a panic while simultaneously moaning every five seconds about how horrible he feels. Really gives him flashbacks to college, when Taeyong would fluctuate between feeling great about life one second and then faceplanting when he remembered the untouched essay due the next day. Some things really do never change.

With the dramatic sigh of all dramatic sighs, Taeyong rolls over and weakly hits at Ten’s side. “I’m a horrible friend,” he states point blank. “The actual worst. I don’t deserve to be your best friend, Tennie.”

It’s funny. A couple months ago when shit went down between them, Ten probably would've agreed. He wouldn’t have hesitated to accuse Taeyong of being selfish (which, to be fair, he kind of was, even though he did have some valid reasons). College senior Ten used to be annoyed whenever Taeyong and Jaehyun hung out together because there’d always be an ugly voice in his head whispering negative words, telling him Taeyong was choosing his boyfriend over his best friend and would soon forget all about him. And to an extent that was true, but not quite—Taeyong didn’t kick Ten out of his circle; he redrew the lines to make them bigger so Jaehyun could fit as well, but naturally that meant his time would now be shared by the two most important people in his life, not just one.

Call it maturing or growing up or whatever, but Ten would like to believe he’s past being petty over things that aren’t that serious.

So he smiles—a real one, not one of those fake monstrosities he’s been mustering up a lot recently—and reassuringly rubs Taeyong’s back. “Hey, it’s alright, Yong,” Ten promises, resisting the urge to laugh at Taeyong’s defeated kitten expression. “Look, you know I’d love it if we could spend as much time together as we used to, but that’s just not possible. Shit happens, life gets in the way, the big guy up there has other plans—that doesn’t mean either of us are bad friends, just that we’ve been busy adulting. So don’t worry about having to go back when I’m literally a phone call or a text away.”

Taeyong’s brows raise all the way up to his hairline. “Who are you and what have you done with the Ten I know?” He gapes incredulously.

_He grew the fuck up, that’s what._

“Guess I’ve been getting a hang of this whole adulting thing,” Ten grins brightly. 

“But,” he adds, bunching the fabric of Taeyong’s shirt into his fist. “If you shut me out again, I’ll hop on the train to Jeonju and kill you. If you’re not feeling okay, you’ve got to tell me these things, Yong. How about we both try a little harder to understand each other? Then we’ll be better best friends.”

“Deal,” Taeyong happily agrees, shooting up and throwing his arms around Ten’s wiry frame. 

Ten closes his eyes in contentment. He misses a lot of things about not having Taeyong around anymore, but he thinks this is what he’s been missing the most. Just two best friends, teasing each other to hell and back but also always being there to lend a hand or offer constructive advice. They’re Ten and Taeyong (or Taeyong and Ten, who cares); they can do anything.

“Oh!” Taeyong perks up as he lets go. His eyes twinkle in mischief as he adds, “Don’t forget to update me about the Johnny situation! I’ve been waiting for the two of you to get together since freshman year and I’m not giving up until it happens!”

Ten’s smile falters just the tiniest bit. Seungwan may have helped guide his overly angsty feelings away, but he hasn’t quite been able to shake out all the troubling thoughts pervading his mind. Still, it’s progress nonetheless.

“Yeah,” he says at last. “I’ll keep you posted.”

Like magic, the way Taeyong cheers and claps his hands together in excitement shoos away some of his worries.

 

_Byun Baekhyun to Ten_

_Byun Baekhyun: Hey!!! Are you free now or do you have New Years plans?_

 

Huh. That’s rather interesting—and completely out of the blue. Furrowing his brow slightly in curiosity, Ten texts back with one hand while lazily swirling his wine around with the other--Merlot this time.

 

_Ten: Nah, I’m not really in the partying mood so I’m at home. Why? What’s up?_

_Byun Baekhyun: You down to help me with the little monsters again? Jongdae and Sunyoung are at a party and Chanyeol has to go to a company gala later so the kids are mine for the night._

_Ten: Wow, lucky you._

_Byun Baekhyun: Eh, I don’t mind. They’re so cute._

_Byun Baekhyun: So you wanna come over? Don’t feel pressured to or anything—I’m not dying again like I was last time, but I just thought it would be nice to have some adult company since it’s New Years Eve after all._

_Ten: Is that code for you saying you want to kiss me at midnight? Because no offense hyung, you’re too pretty and not tall enough for me._

_Byun Baekhyun: I could say the same about you, midget._

_Ten: Jongdae-hyung’s rubbing off on you too much._

_Byun Baekhyun: Hahaha next thing you know I’ll be cussing you 24/7. But anyway, you down to hang out?_

 

Pausing, Ten contemplates that while delicately sipping at his wine. On one hand, he _is_ rather bored and could do with some company to clear his mind for a bit. He’s grown to rather like Baekhyun a lot since the time they babysat together—the guy provides both brotherly teasing and a genuine, relaxing kindness. Besides, Ten’s always down to hang out with Jungwoo and Yerim.

On the other hand, little Park Jisung will undoubtedly call him short again.

  _Don’t let that little pipsqueak get the better of you_ , he internally scolds himself.

 

_Ten: Yeah, why not? Text me your address and I’ll be there ASAP. You need me to bring food or something?_

_Byun Baekhyun: Great! And I just ordered a pizza for dinner, so don’t worry about bringing anything._

_Ten: Jongdae-hyung lets you feed the kids pizza?_

_Byun Baekhyun: Shhhhhh what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I’ll send you a location pin right now!_

 

Yerim giggles as the makeup brush dusts across her cheeks. “Uncle, that tickles!” She whines, batting away the tool with her little hands.

Ten cracks a smile. “Come on, kid—you said you wanted to have your makeup done like your mom, hmm? So sit still just a little longer and I’ll be done,” he promises.

Obediently, Yerim stops wriggling around and folds her hands in her lap, struggling to hide her giggles as Ten gets back to work applying a light blush.

Baekhyun, from his perch on the couch, whistles. “I didn’t know you were good at makeup, Ten.”

“Eh,” Ten shrugs modestly, biting down his lip as he snags a thinner brush and ponders over which eyeshadow color to use. “We had to figure out how to do our own makeup for dance team. I didn’t learn until I joined so I’m still just okay. Taeyong’s way better.”

Deciding that a more natural look would be better, Ten returns his attention to Yerim and instructs her to close her eyes. “Say, why do you have all this stuff here, anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear makeup?” He remarks to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun wrinkles his nose. “I was an idol trainee, remember? And I used to be big on clubbing, so old habits die hard, I guess.”

“Huh,” Ten muses. Now that he thinks of it, he can totally the secretary as an idol. Baekhyun’s cute face, puppy-like expressions and mannerisms, and bright personality would easily shoot him to the top in terms of likability. Plus, Ten’s heard him sing at karaoke nights and the guy can give Jongdae a run for his money (but don't tell the assistant manager that). It almost seems like a no brainer for Baekhyun to work in entertainment.

Jungwoo wriggles out of his seat and pads over to inspect his sister. “Oooh, pretty!” He exclaims, eyes shining with the characteristic delight Ten’s come to associate with him. “Uncle Ten, can you do mine next, please?” The child begs, pouting and offering his best puppy eyes.

“I can do it for you, Woo,” Baekhyun calls, sliding down to sit next to Ten on the carpet. Expertly, he snatches up a brush and twirls it around his fingers, signaling for Jungwoo to take a seat in front of him. “Now what kind of look do you have in mind?”

To Ten’s surprise, Baekhyun doesn’t live far from him—in fact, he resides in the complex right across the street. Unlike Ten though, Baekhyun lives in a cozy little studio apartment about the size of Ten’s living room and maybe half of his kitchen. There’s a bed shoved in the corner with only a curtain for a barrier and a ton of folders and loose papers stacked on the floor—work stuff, Ten’s assuming. The space is a little more cramped than what Ten’s used to, giving him flashbacks to college dorm life. But he’d be lying if he said he weren’t having a good time. It’s been relatively peaceful so far as the two of them do the kids’ makeup, and it’s definitely a hell of a lot better than staying home alone with all his thoughts.

Just as Ten adds one last finishing touch to Yerim’s eyeshadow, the doorbell rings. Wordlessly, Baekhyun passes the brush in his hands to Ten and gets up to answer it.

“Hey,” a deep, familiar voice greets. “Thanks for helping out so last minute. I promise this won’t become a habit.”

Baekhyun laughs lightly. “Not a problem, Yeol. Jisungie’s a sweetheart.”

Ten snorts loudly. Park Jisung, a sweetheart? Yeah fucking right.

Subtly, he turns his head just enough to observe Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s interaction. Things have been quiet between the two ever since the armada—ahem, _Kyungsoo_ —came to knock some sense into them, which makes Ten that much more suspicious. Baekhyun no longer blushes and stares at Chanyeol during work, and even though they still do spend a lot of time together, Ten can’t recall any obvious romantic moments between them. So what’s going on?

Chanyeol’s clad in a full suit and he’s got his hair slicked back. He passes Jisung to Baekhyun’s arms and checks his fancy watch with a grimace. “I should go. CEO Kim will be mad if I’m late to the gala,” he sighs apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it,” Baekhyun waves it off breezily. “Have a good time! If you end too late Jisung can sleep here.”

“You’re a godsend, Byun Baekhyun,” Chanyeol marvels, eyes softening as he brushes a hand against Baekhyun’s shoulder.

The motion is small and light, but the moment suddenly seems a little too intimate for Ten to be intruding on. Hastily, he snaps back to attention and applies a random color to Jungwoo’s eyelids. Too late does he realize it’s a rather unfortunate shade of green, but oh well. Knowing Jungwoo, the kid would be happy with literally anything just as long as he’s being pampered.

Baekhyun flops back down next to him and sets Jisung in his lap. “Say hi to your Uncle Ten, Jisungie,” Baekhyun instructs gently.

As expected, Jisung merely glances up at Ten so contemptuously it’s as if their ages are reversed. “Uncle Shortie,” Jisung greet solemnly.

Ten rolls his eyes. “I guess that’s an improvement,” he concedes, ruffling Jisung’s hair as aggressively as possible in retaliation.

“I still don’t get why he only says that to you” Baekhyun muses thoughtfully. “I mean, I’m barely any taller than you but he actually likes me. Weird.”

“Way to rub it in, hyung,” Ten deadpans. “Children adore you and you’re just a lovable person; we get it.”

Baekhyun sticks his tongue out. “Jealous, much?”

“That a little devil child likes you better than me? Not really?”

That’s not exactly a lie; sure it’s weird that Jisung singles him out so much, but Ten actually likes the kid. He’s pretty cute, and it’s quite amusing to have one-sided conversations with him. Besides, Ten is a strong believer in the theory that kids only tease people they secretly like, so who’s the real winner?

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Baekhyun snatches the makeup supplies back and returns to Jungwoo. “Careful, Ten. If I tell Chanyeol you said that about his son he won’t hesitate to throw you out the window.”

Ten sends a patronizing stare Jisung’s way, who boldly returns his gaze with an equally defiant glare. “You think I’m afraid of your boyfriend? Yeah, right,” Ten snorts. Chanyeol may be tall, but his height is all he’s got. Everyone knows Chanyeol’s one of the softest people alive, despite the regional manager power he attempts to exert.

“Ah,” Baekhyun pauses awkwardly, hand stilled in midair. “Actually, despite what it may look like, Chanyeol and I are not together.”

“ _Huh_?” Ten blinks, losing his staring contest with the one year old devil. He switches his attention to Baekhyun, gawking at him in disbelief. “You aren’t? But I thought…well, didn’t Kyungsoo therapy work its magic or something?”

Baekhyun remains silent as he adds one last finishing touch to Jungwoo’s makeup. With a fixed smile, he says, “Hey Woo? Why don’t you take Jisungie and your sister over to the bed? You can play there as long as you don’t jump on it, okay?”

Jungwoo leaps to his feat. “Okay!” The boy exclaims, grabbing Yerim with one hand and Jisung in the other as he makes a beeline for the small bed.

Letting out a heavy exhale, Baekhyun absentmindedly begins to put his makeup away. “Kyungsoo therapy was pretty enlightening,” he admits, voice purposefully even. “I’ll spare you the details, but basically he said something along the lines of not sacrificing the chance of happiness for stupid reasons. He also said he didn’t divorce Chanyeol to receive this kind of disrespect, which was pretty funny. You should’ve seen Chanyeol’s face when that happened.”

Baekhyun shuts his makeup case with a resounding _click!_ “And we went back to work, and then he drove me home after and we talked about our feelings and stuff for a bit. Surprise surprise, they’re mutual but he’s been a headass this entire time. So then we thought, okay, why not go on a real date? Since we both like each other, why not start going out?”

“And? How was the date?” Ten presses, dying to know more.

The smile on Baekhyun’s lips is nothing but rueful. “We were in the middle of ordering when he got a call from the babysitter. Jisung had been a little sniffly for a few days, but Chanyeol had brushed it off as nothing major. Well it turned out Jisung was burning up and had a fever, so Chanyeol literally dropped everything and ran out. I chased after him and barely made it to the car before he started driving away, and god, the guilt on his face was terrible. He felt like he’d been neglecting his son, but then he also regretted the fact that our first date was ruined so quickly. I think he felt too ashamed about everything, so we didn’t talk at all on the ride back to his place. I stayed over and helped take care of Jisung, but it also gave me a lot of things to think about.”

Pursing his lips, Baekhyun says, “I like him a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen for someone as hard as I’ve fallen for Chanyeol, and I’ll never for a second regret that. And I know he likes me back, too, but…I think right now, the timing isn’t quite right. As much as I’d love to be in a relationship with him, it’s not something either of us can handle at the moment. He’s trying his best to raise Jisung as an only father and it hasn’t been easy, but he wants to be the best he can for his son. I think that much is understandable.”

“But what about you?” Ten blurts out.

Baekhyun tilts his head as if to say, _What about me?_

Racking his brain for the right words, Ten eventually comes up with, “I mean yeah, you’re right and it’s good that Chanyeol-hyung is responsible and knows what he can and can’t handle right now. But what about you? Aren’t you sad at all? You’ve liked him for so long and now you know he likes you back, but because of the stuff going on in his life you still can’t be together. Doesn’t that make you feel frustrated?”

Baekhyun levels him a knowing smile. “Why am I getting the feeling that you’re trying to explain your own emotions, Ten?” He points out wisely.

“Maybe,” Ten mumbles, ducking his head in embarrassment. Caught red-handed yet again.

“Well,” Baekhyun shrugs casually. “To tell you the truth, yeah I’m disappointed. I always thought that once you know the person you likes likes you back, that’s where the story ends. Happily ever after, blah blah blah. So to say I’m not a little sad would be a lie. But I’m an optimist, Ten. I’d like to believe that Chanyeol and I can one day find a way to make things work.”

Ten, however, still can’t help but feel worried. “So what happens now? You’re gonna go to work and be his secretary and pretend nothing happened?”

Baekhyun hesitates. “About that…” he trails off, the glint in his eye unreadable. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

With a deep breath, Baekhyun lifts his chin so he’s staring Ten straight in the eye and announces, “I’m resigning as secretary.”

“What?” Ten shrieks, recoiling back so hard he falls to the floor. “You’re _quitting_? What? How? Why? _What?_ ”

Sheepishly, Baekhyun tucks his knees to his chest and loops his arms around himself. “Surprise? Sorry to drop the bomb on you like that, but you were gonna know in a few days anyway.”

Still lying flat on his back, Ten stares blankly up at the ceiling. “I just…I just don’t know what to think,” he admits stonily.

He and Baekhyun didn’t know each other well until recently, but even if they hadn’t become close, Ten still would’ve been in shock. Baekhyun joined the team at the same time as Ten, and as far as the latter can remember, the kind, demure secretary has always been dutifully typing away at his desk while sneaking longing looks at Chanyeol every now and then. Ten knows that team members come and go and has experienced such change firsthand, but for some reason the thought of _Baekhyun_ leaving doesn’t make any sense.

Picking up on Ten’s confusion, Baekhyun sympathetically pats the prone figure on the knee. “I know, I know—it doesn’t make sense and feels completely out of the blue. You’re probably thinking that I’m leaving because of or for Chanyeol, but that’s definitely not it. I’m leaving for, well, _me._ ”

“That doesn’t make me any less confused, hyung,” Ten whines.

Baekhyun giggles. “Then be quiet and let me explain, okay? Jesus, now I get why Jongdae thinks of you as his actual son.”

“But anyway!” He continues brightly, ignoring the stupidly big smile on Ten’s face. “Like I said, I know my decision feels super out of the blue, but it’s not. I love being with the team, but I don’t love my job. I like being a secretary, sure, but I know that when I’m eighty and looking back on my life, I won’t feel satisfied knowing I spent my adult life working at the office.”

“This job has meant a lot to me over the past few years—if it weren’t for Jongdae fighting for me and for Chanyeol believing in me, I don’t know if I would’ve gotten my life back on track after the whole idol disappointment. I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, so I don’t want everything I’ve learned to go to waste. I want to grow and become an even better version of myself as a way to not only thank Jongdae and Chanyeol, but to also make sure I live my life to the fullest.”

Baekhyun rocks back and forth as he props his chin on his knees, smiling fondly at the children jumping on his bed. “I always knew I wasn’t going to stay a secretary forever, but then the next question was, _where do I go from here_? If I didn’t want to remain stationary, then I had to have a plan. Going back to barista-ing would feel like a step back, and I didn’t know what to study if I wanted to go to college. But after a lot of thought, I remembered the one thing I’ve always loved: singing.”

“It’s way too late for me to be an idol, and it’s not like I’d still want to be one at this point. But I love singing and that much will never change, so I want to do something that allows me to keep doing it. A few months ago I met up with my old vocal coach, and that’s when it hit me: I can still sing by teaching others. I’ve been set back and hurt by my own failures as a trainee and it hurts to think of it even today, but I really think I can help others like me. I want to be there for all those hopeful boys and girls as not only a teacher, but as a friend.”

“So,” Baekhyun says with a relaxed smile, finally able to meet Ten’s gaze. “That’s the dream I’ve set for myself. And in order to accomplish that, the first step is to go back to school.”

Ten, who’s been silent the whole time, can’t do anything but stare at Baekhyun in awe. “Wow,” is all he can say. “Wow. You’ve…you’ve really got this whole adulting thing figured out, hyung.”

“Nah,” Baekhyun disagrees with a carefree shake of his head. “I’m thirty-one, Ten. It’s taken me a long time to finally get my shit together.”

“Some people never get their shit together,” Ten, ever the intellectual, points out wisely. “Take me for instance—here I am thinking I’m doing a good job, but then I’ve got people like you and Jongdae-hyung and Seungwan-noona to knock me down a few pegs.”

Baekhyun chuckles, hiding his grin behind a hand. “If it makes you feel better, the only reason why they tease you so much is because you’re both of their favorites. But shhh, don’t tell them I told you the secret,” he winks.

“Pfft, I already knew,” Ten puffs up his chest.

Over in the corner, Yerim accidentally knocks Jisung to the floor. Jungwoo lets out a loud gasp, watching his sister with wide, horrified eyes as they await Park Jisung’s wrath. Instead, the youngest child merely stands up and dusts his pants, then retaliates by poking Yerim in the stomach and running away with a gleeful cackle. The Kim siblings exchange glances, then take off after the disturbingly fast Jisung.

“Those kids,” Baekhyun fondly shakes his head as he keeps his eyes trained on Jisung. “Sometimes I really think their parents traded them. Jungwoo and Yerim are too pure to be Jongdae’s, and Jisung’s too devious to be Chanyeol’s.”

Ten makes a face. “I think Jisung might actually be Doyoung’s kid. There’s no other explanation for why he turned out so evil.”

“What is it with you and Doyoung?” Baekhyun shoots him a quizzical, yet highly entertained look. “Come on, he’s not thaaaaaaat bad.”

Ten stares at him blankly.

“Okay, maybe you’re right. He’s evil,” Baekhyun concedes.

“Damn right he is,” Ten grumbles.

At that moment, Jisung hurtles into Baekhyun’s lap. “Save me!” He cries, burying his face against Baekhyun’s midriff. “They’re bullying me!”

“You started it!” Jungwoo and Yerim shout in unison.

“She pushed me!” Jisung whines, pointing an accusing finger Yerim’s way.

“Now now,” Baekhyun reprimands while patting Jisung’s back. “Yerim shouldn’t have knocked you over, but that was an accident, hmm? You can’t get mad over things like that, Jisungie. That's not very nice of you.”

Jisung pouts, which makes Ten smirk. At last, the mini devil has been put in his place. Ten one, Jisung…well, he’d prefer not to dwell on all the times the kid’s bested him.

With a lopsided smile, Baekhyun pats the child on the back one last time and says, “Now go make up and sit tight or else no ice cream for dessert.”

Ten’s jaw drops. “Jongdae-hyung’s letting you give his kids ice cream, too?”

“Shhh,” Baekhyun places a conspiring finger to his lips as the kids run off. “I repeat, what Jongdae doesn’t know won’t kill him.”

_Wow, he’s good_ , Ten think approvingly. Anyone who can troll Jongdae so nonchalantly deserves a medal.

It suddenly hits him how much he’s going to miss Baekhyun. For as short of a time they’ve been friends—or maybe they’re not really on that level, but Ten would like to believe otherwise—Baekhyun’s quickly become one of Ten’s favorite colleagues and people in general. Deep down, Ten hopes Baekhyun’s dream comes true. God, if anyone deserves it then it’s him.

As if he can read Ten’s mind, Baekhyun tilts his head back until he’s staring up at the ceiling and murmurs, “I don’t know if everything will work out exactly as planned. I’d be lying if I said I weren’t scared about starting anew at this stage of my life, but there’s no point in living if you’re not taking any risks. So I’m going to fight tooth and nail until I’m satisfied, even if that means I'll be fighting for the rest of my life.”

“So what about Chanyeol-hyung?” Ten blurts out. He can’t help it; after everything he’s come to learn about Chanyeol and Baekhyun as individuals, Ten’s more than a little invested in their story. “You think it’ll ever work out between the two of you? Like, you think you’ll get together eventually? Or do you think maybe that’s it?”

Baekhyun tilts his head to the side and offers Ten a knowing expression. “You know that one saying? About how if you love someone, you let them go?”

Ten’s breath hitches in his throat. “Yeah,” he whispers. _I know all too well._

Humming, Baekhyun gently continues with, “I’d like to think about it a little differently. How about if you love someone, let them _grow_? Let them become the best version of him or herself possible. Let yourself grow, too, because before you can accept someone else’s love, you need to find out who exactly you are. And if you can still find your way back to each other after, then that’s when you know it’s meant to be.”

“So I wouldn’t call it a ‘that’s it,’” Baekhyun shakes his head. With a wink, he explains, “I’d say it’s more of a ‘maybe someday’.”

 

_Seoul Branch Dimwitted Stupid Idiotic Brainless Dumb as Hell Nincompoops_

_Kim Jongdae: Alright so it’s about twelve hours late but excuse me I was drunk and I’m still hungover but anyway_

_Kim Jongdae: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Because a new year means a new start, changes will be made starting today_

_Kim Jongdae changed the group name to “Best <3 Family <3 Ever <3”_

_Park Chanyeol: Go home Jongdae, you’re drunk._

_Ten: I’m scared._

_Dong Sicheng: I second that._

_Nakamoto Yuta: Thirded._

_Kim Jongdae: New year, new me—goodbye bitchass Jongdae, from now on I’m only going to spread positivity and happiness!_

_Son Seungwan: Yeah now I’m scared too._

_Park Sooyoung: I’ve never feared for my life more than this moment right now._

_Moon Taeil: The only time I’ve ever been more afraid was when I experienced sleep paralysis for the first time and thought the aliens had gotten to me._

_Na Jaemin: Hyung, remind me to introduce you to my friend Renjun. You’d get along really well._

_Ten: Um back to the point…why is Jongdae-hyung suddenly so happy?_

_Son Seungwan: Maybe the midlife crisis hit him early and this is his coping mechanism?_

_Park Sunyoung: Don’t worry, guys. This will last about ten minutes before he starts complaining about the troublemakers again._

_Kim Jongdae: Sunyoung :”( you don’t believe in me either?_

_Park Sunyoung: Maybe I’d believe in you a little more if you’d get me that pie I’ve been craving for days now._

_Kim Jongdae: But that bakery’s been closed all break, I can’t get any until tomorrow._

_Park Sunyoung: Sooooo? Shouldn’t you know that when a pregnant woman has cravings, you’re contractually obligated to get her whatever food she wants?_

_Kim Jongdae: Um what contract?_

_Park Sunyoung: Our marriage papers, you imbecile._

_Ten: hahaha eat that, hyung_

_Ten: Wait_

_Ten: wAIT_

_Ten: YOU’RE PREGNANT???_

_Park Chanyeol: Oh, you didn’t know?_

_Kim Doyoung: It’s been common knowledge for a couple weeks now, but of course a fool like you would never figure it out for yourself._

_Park Sooyoung: Yup_

_Moon Taeil: I inferred as much when I noticed Sunyoung-noona stopped wearing stilettos a while ago_

_Nakamoto Yuta: She told me before the holidays_

_Dong Sicheng: Yuta told me_

_Son Seungwan: Yuta also told me, but Sunyoung-unnie told me too_

_Na Jaemin: Seungwan-noona told me_

_Lee Jeno: Nana told me!!!_

_Mark Lee: Yeah, even I knew because Jeno told me_

_Byun Baekhyun: Sorry Ten, looks like you were the last to find out :’(_

_Ten: I —_

_Park Sunyoung: This is what I tried to tell you during the Christmas party but you were way too oblivious_

_Ten: …_

_Kim Jongdae: If it makes you feel better, we’ll name your new brother or sister after you!_

_Park Sunyoung: Oh dear god no_

_Park Sunyoung: Be right back, guys. I’m about to throw the new Jongdae away and get the old Jongdae back._

 

Ten bursts into laughter at the thought of short, motherly Sunyoung slapping some sense into her husband. Jongdae may pretend to be tough shit, but everyone knows how soft he is on the inside. It’s clear as day that Sunyoung’s the real ruler of the family, as only she can deal with Jongdae’s antics.

The group chat keeps lighting up, but Ten only skims the messages as he focuses on cooking his instant noodles with one hand (his cooking abilities have never exceeded broke college student, okay?). With Jongdae and Sunyoung temporarily unresponsive, Seungwan takes the reins by launching into a long rant about how her parents keep making passive aggressive comments about her single status. Apparently they think being twenty-nine (almost thirty, Ten thinks snidely) is the equivalent of being an old hag, but what they refuse to understand is that Seungwan simply isn’t interested in finding a partner at the moment. Then Sooyoung chimes in with a sassy remark about how relationships are overrated, because Sungjae sure as hell isn’t contributing much to the wedding planning cause. And then Chanyeol makes some offhanded comment about how surprisingly, his parents cried the most when he and Kyungsoo got divorced because they thought nobody else would ever fall in love with their dumb son. Right at that moment, Jongdae happens to return to the chat, and obviously the old Jongdae is back because his response to Chanyeol’s story is so scathing Ten feels obligated to run over to Chanyeol’s apartment and give him some aloe vera to treat the burn.

As he mindlessly watches the banter popping up on his screen, Ten can’t help but feel like something’s missing. The conversation’s the same as always, since what more can a bunch of twenty and thirty something year olds do other than bicker and be complete messes? Most work teams probably aren’t this shameless with each other, but the Taeng&Co Seoul branch private team has always been an exception. It’s the same tempo and rhythm as usual, but why can’t Ten shake the feeling that the conversation is…incomplete?

And then, like an epiphany, it hits him so hard his phone slips out of his grip and clatters to the floor. 

_Johnny._

Noodles all but forgotten, Ten stares down at his phone, wondering if the screen cracked but not making a move to pick it up. How can he, when the answer to all his questions from the past week—no, the past six months—is suddenly there and so clear?

It’s not like Johnny participates much in the group chat, but over time, his short, goofy interjections have matched up with the quick-witted arguing. The same goes for working hours, too. Johnny still tends to keep to his own desk most of the time, but sometimes he’ll roll his chair over next to Ten’s desk and join in on the usual unproductiveness of the sales team. Sometimes he’ll stop by the accounting cubicles to ruffle Jaemin’s hair and joke about something in English to Seungwan, making sure to speak extra loud so Mark can hear it too. He spent Christmas with Sooyoung because she’s been his friend for years. He genuinely finds Taeil’s conspiracy theories interesting instead of brushing the guy off like the rest of them do. Ten’s also picked up on the way Johnny always greets Baekhyun with a kind smile whenever he goes into Chanyeol’s office for a private meeting. Even cold on the outside, warm on the inside Sicheng tolerates him without any sign of raised hackles.

Somehow, without Ten even realizing it for the longest time, Johnny has crept his way into their life as not just an interloping temporary HR rep, but as someone who really, truly belongs. Because as embarrassing as it is for Jongdae to change the group chat name to “Best <3 Family <3 Ever <3”, that’s what they are, right? A bunch of mismatched, unproductive, chaotic young adults who insult and tease each other like there’s no tomorrow but also wouldn’t hesitate to fight at the first sign of actual malice. They’re a _team_.

People come and go all the time. Ten knows that much all too well. He’s seen interns come for a few months and promptly leave without their presence ever being missed and coworkers who transfer to more prosperous companies without batting an eye. But here’s the secret: The ones who are missed—the ones who leave with regret written all over their face—are the only ones who belonged in the first place. Because in order to miss someone, you first had to care for them.

Ten grips the counter for support as he thinks of what will happen once the month ends. Johnny will go back to Incheon, and then a month later Baekhyun will end the secretary chapter of his life and pursue his real dream. And then Jeno, Jaemin, and Mark most likely will find some other place to work at full time after their internships are over. And then Sunyoung will undoubtedly go on maternity leave like she’s done the past two times. Whether Ten likes it or not, things are changing. The team is changing little by little, and he’s not so sure if he’s ready for that quite yet.

He knows he’s selfish, but if he could stop the clocks and stay in this moment in time forever, he would. He doesn’t want anything to change or for people to leave, but there’s nothing he can do about it. Because the clock hands will keep spinning and people will move on regardless. The only thing Ten can do is move with them.

_If you love someone, let them grow_ , Baekhyun had advised. _Let them become the best version of him or herself possible. Let yourself grow, too, because before you can accept someone else’s love, you need to find out who exactly you are._

What do the best versions of his friends look like? What, he muses, does the best version of himself even look like? Will he ever even find out for himself—will any of them? Where do they even start?

Most of all, he wonders what Johnny will be like once he grows. Will he finally stop leaving? Will he be more willing to open up to others? Will he stop feeling guilty over things he has no control over? Will he find someone who can make him stay? Will that someone ever be Ten?

That’s the scary part about letting people grow; because you know it’s good for them, but you’re too afraid they’ll realize you’re not what they want or need.

Baekhyun, who fell so deeply and purely in love with Chanyeol and never stopped loving him, is letting go so they can both grow. He knows that for an indefinite amount of time, he and Chanyeol will only be each other’s maybe somedays. Maybe once Baekhyun has reached his dream and Chanyeol has learned to accept himself as a father, they’ll reconnect and pick up where they left off. Maybe they’ll fall out of love with each other and find other people. Maybe they’ll reunite, but not romantically. Maybe they’ll never even get to where they want to be. Maybe they’ll never see each other again.

Out of the millions of maybes, there are plenty of happy endings but only one where they end up together. But that’s the risk Baekhyun and Chanyeol have chosen to take because they love each other, and when you love someone you let them grow.

Except…you don’t necessarily have to let them go in order to let them grow.

Shakily, Ten stoops down and picks his phone up. The screen didn’t crack, thank God, but that’s the least of his concerns right now. His hands tremble so badly his fingers fail to type out cohesive words, so he exits out of his message app and scrolls through his contacts until he finds the name that’s been plaguing his thoughts for nine years.

No one picks up, but that’s fine. All the better, actually, because Ten knows that once he hears the other’s voice, he’ll lose his resolve and spill everything right there and then. And while that may feel cathartic to finally let it all out, he wants this to be a face to face conversation. It has to be that way.

When the recording tone for the voicemail chimes, Ten blurts out the only information he’s willing to give at this moment. “Hi, Johnny-hyung. Don’t worry about calling back because I know you’re probably still driving back to Seoul now. Just listen to me, okay? Tomorrow, you’re going to pick me up to go to work. You’ll be waiting outside my apartment early and I’ll get in the car and it’ll feel like a normal day, except it won't be. Because this is it, hyung. I’m done with running. There’s something—a lot of things, actually—I need to tell you, and I can’t wait any longer. So if you’re tired of running, too, you’ll be waiting for me. Okay? Thank you.”

Before the _I love you_ can slip out, he ends the voicemail and shoves his phone into his pocket. For just a single moment, he buries his face in his hands and allows himself to let out a scream. Tears are pricking at the corner of his eyes from all the stress, but what’s done is done. He’s said all he can say for now, and no matter what the outcome, this all ends tomorrow.

When the moment passes, he reluctantly drags a hand through his hair and stares down at his overcooked instant noodles. Then, because his cooking skills truly are atrocious and he’s far too drained to do anything else, he dumps his labor down the sink and decides it’s the perfect night to go to bed early.

 

Sure enough, Johnny’s there the next morning. Ten steps out into the chilly air with half his face buried in a scarf and is greeted with the sight of Johnny standing outside his car, hands stuffed in his pockets and head down. Perhaps Ten chokes because it’s one of the most beautiful sights he’s ever seen, but he forces himself to swallow and calm down as he approaches the other man.

“Hi,” Ten greets quietly. “Thanks for the ride.”

Johnny lifts his head. His hair has always been a little on the longer side—just barely long enough for Ten to curl his fingers through, as Taeyong used to always tease—and some of it covers one of his eyes. “No problem,” Johnny replies evenly. He opens the passenger door like a true gentleman and ushers Ten inside, muttering, “I’ll crank up the heating since it’s fucking freezing today.”

The ride to the office is uneventful for the most part. Occasionally they’ll ask each other meaningless little questions (“How was your Christmas?” “Good, how about yours?” “Pretty good.”) It’s too early for the rush hour, but the road seems to stretch on for miles upon miles without end. Ten’s leg won’t stop shaking no matter how hard he wills it to stop, and Johnny definitely notices but he’s kind enough to not mention anything. Eventually, they both stop trying altogether and drive the rest of the way in silence.

It’s only when Johnny’s pulled into a parking space and turned off the engine does Ten speak up again. “We should talk about…what comes next, I guess,” he commences, trying and failing to not stumble over his words.

Johnny keeps his gaze trained straight ahead but nods. “We should,” he agrees.

Silence again. Last night, Ten tossed and turned in his bed for hours despite slipping under the covers early. He’d prepared an entire speech and memorized it by heart, continuously making mental modifications when he got up and went through his usual morning routine. In his head, each word was eloquent and beautifully thought out, expressing every sentiment and feeling on his mind. Everything was logical and perfect, ultimately reaching a conclusion that would give him a definitive, mature answer.

But right now, the only words that escape his lips are, “I want you to stay.”

He can see the beginnings of a smile bloom on Johnny’s face, but then the corners of his eyes mouth smooth out and his lines form a straight line. “Ten,” Johnny exhales, “you have no idea how much I want to, but I can’t. Legally, I’m supposed to—”

“I know you can’t,” Ten cuts in, shocking himself when his voice doesn’t shake. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna try and convince you to break contract. I’m not that selfish.”

Ten’s always been confident in himself and possessed the perfect amount of shamelessness, and he’s never been more grateful for it than he is right now. Squeezing his hands into fists, he takes a deep breath and confesses, “I want you to stay, but you can’t. That’s fine. Because more than that, I want to be with you. And you don’t have to stay for that to happen.”

Johnny inhales sharply, but before he can say anything, Ten beats him to it. “Let’s take this one step at a time, okay?” He offers encouragingly. “First, just…just tell me if you want to be with me too. So, do you?”

“I do,” Johnny says without a second’s hesitation. He’s finally looking at Ten now, dark eyes locked onto his without any intention of backing away. Johnny swallows and when he speaks again, he’s visibly trembling. “Ten, everything I told you is true. I’ve liked you since you fell during your audition freshman year, and that hasn’t changed even after nine years.”

If this were one of those Disney movies Ten and Seungwan binged on Christmas, then their story would end right now. In the movies, once the princess and her lover confess, the next scene automatically cuts to their wedding and the obligatory happily ever after. They don’t show the hard, complicated in-between parts. Ten wishes they did because then maybe he’d have a better idea of what exactly he’s doing right now, but he thinks he’s doing a decent job on his own.

Wordlessly, he reaches out and slips his hand against Johnny’s, not unlike the way he did when they were on the balcony together. That night he’d seen nothing but red as he yelled and confessed out of despair. Now, he thinks it’s more blue. Not a dark, uneasy blue, though—more like the color of the sky at high noon.

“Okay,” Ten nods, steadying himself by concentrating on the way their fingers lace together so effortlessly. “That’s good, because it’s the same for me. Ever since you handed me that flyer for the dance team I’ve had the biggest crush on you. I thought it would never go anywhere though, so when you asked if I wanted to get into your truck with you that weekend junior year, I thought I was dreaming. It felt too good to be true, that the guy I’ve liked for three years would invite me somewhere like that.”

“When you were still new here, you told me we didn’t know each other and shouldn’t pretend otherwise. You said we weren’t even friends in college, and that much I’ll admit. I was always too afraid to talk to you and we never saw each other outside of practice. But for that one weekend, I’d say we were definitely friends, hyung. We didn’t do anything but read and cook and swim, but that was enough. That was all I thought I’d ever get, so I was happy with it. You even opened up to me, too, and that tricked me into thinking that maybe, just maybe, I had a chance.”

“Then you told me you didn’t want to be lonely. That’s when I got ahead of myself and tried to kiss you, only for you to tell me you were leaving soon. I spent years thinking that was a rejection, Johnny. How was I supposed to know that the whole time I’d been pining over you, you liked me too?” 

Ruefully, Ten tightens his hold on Johnny’s hand and murmurs, “Would’ve made things a hell of a lot less complicated if I’d known back then.”

“So…I don’t really know where I’m going with this, to tell you the truth. I have feelings for you, you have feelings for me. Except we were stupid college kids for the longest time and didn’t do anything about it. Now that we’re adults though, I’d like to believe we’re a bit more mature than we were six years ago.”

If there’s anything Ten’s learned over these past few months, it’s that sometimes, the only thing left to do is to go for it. And that’s exactly what he does.

“Let’s try, hyung,” he whispers, face breaking into a hopeful smile. “Let’s do things right this time. I don’t care if you’re going back to Incheon—it’s literally right there, so it won’t even be long distance. Because if you’re that close, then you can still be with the home you found here. _Stay_ , hyung. Maybe not in Seoul, but at least with us. Just don’t leave again without giving us a proper shot. But if you really need to leave so you can grow, I underst—”

He has plenty more he’d like to say, but, as luck would have it, his never-ending rambling catches up to him and he chokes on air mid-sentence, coughing as unattractively as humanly possible.

Classic. Just fucking classic.

Alarmed, Johnny rapidly pounds Ten on the back in an attempt to relieve his windpipe. How romantic, Ten gripes sarcastically. Chittaphon Leeichaiyapornkul, the epitome of perfect timing, master of romance, has once again proved why he’s a fool when it comes to love. Fuck love, honestly. Fuck it all—who said he even wanted a relationship, huh? Fuck that, he’s perfectly fine with being single for life if that means he’ll stop embarrassing himself whenever’s he trying to have a heartfelt moment. At this rate, he should just make a forty deal with Seungwan and accept the fact that he’s doomed for life.

He’s so caught up in his murderous thoughts that he doesn’t notice Johnny’s laughter until the other man's doubled over and practically howling, tears staining his cheeks as he snorts. Ten, who doesn’t understand what could possibly be so funny, stares at him wholly unimpressed.

“Whatever,” he glowers, ripping his hand out of Johnny’s and reaching for the door. “I get it. Rejected again. See you in another six years.”

“Wait!” Johnny exclaims, lunging for Ten’s wrist. Upon seeing the offended expression on Ten’s face, Johnny only laughs even harder. “I’m sorry,” he gasps out between chortles, pressing his fingers to his forehead to steady himself. “I’m sorry for laughing during such a serious moment, but the timing when you choked and that dead look on your face—I just couldn’t help it, okay! Has anyone ever told you that you’re honestly the cutest person alive?”

“Say what?” Ten replies blankly. Did his ears just deceive him, or did Johnny fucking Seo just call him cute? _Really?_

Calm at last, Johnny wipes his tears away with his sleeve and he’s looking at Ten right now with such fondness and sincerity and hope and love and—oh. Oh. _Oh._

Ten’s heart leaps all the way to his throat. He’s not sure whether he wants to laugh or cry right now, so he compromises by—very maturely—punching Johnny in the gut.

“Ow!” Johnny yelps, dramatically collapsing in on himself. The punch couldn’t have hurt very much because Ten’s arms have never been nearly as strong as his dancer legs and obviously the big idiot is faking the pain, but seeing him like this still sends vicious satisfaction coursing through Ten’s veins. 

“Serves you right,” Ten sniffs, childishly sticking his chin in the air. “I was trying to have a serious moment and you completely ruined it. Now I gotta start over and be all angsty and shit again just because you’re so stupid. You’re such a nerd, you know that? I thought Taeyong and Jaehyun were the biggest nerds ever, but you really take the cake. Why do I even bother with you? I should find someone cooler, or maybe someone super emo so they can understand all my repressed angst. Fuck, maybe I really will stay single forever and—”

“Ten,” Johnny interrupts with an overly innocent grin. “Could you stop talking for a second so I can say what I have to say?”

Obediently, Ten zips his lips shut.

Johnny’s eyes are entirely too fond as he interlaces their fingers again with one hand and uses the other to smooth down a wayward lock of Ten’s hair (Ten prides himself on keeping still and not screaming when that happens). The touch is more intimate than expected, but not in the sense that it's too much too soon—rather, it feels as if this is normal for Johnny to be so close and touch him so tenderly.

Steadily, Johnny maintains that stupid smile on his face as he says, “If you weren’t overthinking and rambling so much, you’d realize that I want that too, Ten. I want everything you just said. I wish I didn’t have to go back to my old team, but Incheon isn’t exactly the end of the world. So let’s do it, Ten. Let’s give ourselves a chance.”

In a lower, considerably guiltier voice, he murmurs, “I know all I’ve done is leave before, but this is where I plan on stopping. It’s gonna suck to not be with all of you at the office anymore, but you know what I’ve learned?”

“You’re capable of learning shit?” Ten jests feebly, overwhelmed by everything happening. Is this real? Is it actually happening or did he never wake up that morning? Could this be heaven?

Johnny runs his fingers through Ten’s hair, causing the latter to shiver at the contact. “I’ve learned that maybe I don’t actually need to find a home. Or, at least not a physical place. Because it’s the people who matter more, and when I’m with the team, it just feels right. And you were the one who helped me figure that out, Ten. It’s all thanks to you.”

Suddenly feeling uncharacteristically bashful, Ten averts his gaze and mumbles, “You’re giving me too much credit.”

“Am I?” Johnny smirks, tiling his head to the side in amusement. “So you’re doubting me, huh? Still don’t trust me yet? What's it take for a guy to be trusted these days?”

Ten, who’s decided that this foolishness has dragged on long enough and is honestly reconsidering ever having a crush on Johnny Seo in the first place, responds by lurching forward and kissing him.

Johnny, that absolutely unbearable jackass, doesn’t even seem surprised by the sudden action. He merely cups Ten’s face in his hands and kisses back even harder, smiling against Ten’s lips. And, as much as he hates to admit it, Ten smiles back and finds that he doesn't particularly mind at all.

Because this is it. This is the dream that first bloomed when Ten stumbled across a tall boy with a perfect smile on his second day of college. This is the dream that shattered to pieces when Johnny uttered, “I’m leaving after graduation.” This is the dream that rekindled from the ashes when they met again six years later. This is the dream Ten’s never dared to believe could come true.

If his eighteen and twenty-one year old selves could see what’s become of that dream at twenty-seven, he thinks they’d breathe a sigh of relief, then smack him upside the head and yell, “Fucking _finally!_ ” But then they’d smile because they’d know it was worth the wait.

 

(A little bonus for later)

The door to the storage closet flings open so fast that Ten, blinded by the sudden light, rips his mouth away from Johnny’s and hides behind the taller man in fear.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Seungwan’s irritated voice rings out as she shoots the two men in the makeout closet an unimpressed glare. “Looks like Doyoung won.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this cheesy? Hell yeah but I'm trying to be happy for once
> 
> FYI, although this fic is ending after the next, that's not the end! I've got a Yuwin sequel in the works because trust me, there's much more to Yuta and Sicheng's odd relationship than you might think.


	12. Sooyoung is the real mastermind, Kyungsoo is hard to understand, and Ten's about to die

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 84 years but here's the last chapter.

“I don’t even care that much about losing the bet, but why did _Doyoung_ of all people have to win?” Yuta complains, reluctantly digging his wallet out of his back pocket and thumbing through the bills.

Doyoung scoffs, the grin on his face entirely too smug for Ten's liking. “Because I’m just that much smarter than all of you,” he explains proudly.

“I’m offended too,” Ten speaks up glumly. “Dons just won money because of me. Let that sink in.”

“How about we acknowledge the fact that you’ve known everyone for two and a half years now and it never once occurred to you that they’d be betting on you,” Johnny points out with a teasing grin. He gently pokes Ten in the cheek and adds, “Probably should’ve seen that one coming, Tennie.”

Ten flushes at both the affectionate contact and the nickname. No one besides Taeyong ever calls him Tennie, and for some reason hearing that name come out of Johnny’s mouth makes Ten’s brain go haywire. “Quiet, you,” he protests, swatting Johnny’s hand away. “So you mean you knew this whole time?”

Johnny shrugs, that stupid, stupid, calmly amused smile still on his annoying face. “I mean, I didn’t know the details but I had a feeling. The people here are too nosy for their own good.”

“Hey!” Seungwan frowns. “I take great offense to that—we’re not nosy, we just care a lot!”

“Nah, we’re nosy,” Yuta disagrees, mournfully passing over the money to Doyoung’s expectant hands. “Too nosy for our own good, honestly.”

Sunyoung hides her laugh behind her computer. “Did you really just figure that out now?”

Doyoung rounds on her. “Hey, don’t forget that you owe me too, noona. Pay up,” he smirks at his senior.

No longer amused, Sunyoung shoots Doyoung a dirty look. “You really want to test me like that, Kim Dongyoung?” She threatens, voice dropping to a dangerously low tone. 

Ten can’t help but laugh. Everyone knows that whenever Team Mom Sunyoung busts out the full names of her many honorary children, she is not about to be pushed any further. Add on the fact that she’s pregnant and, well, no one really wants to risk igniting Sunyoung’s rage.

“No, noona,” Doyoung rapidly shakes his head as he shrinks back.

Satisfied, Sunyoung flicks her long ponytail over her shoulder and resumes working.

“Wait,” Ten raises a hand. “Not to seem self-centered or anything, but shouldn’t you all be congratulating us or something? I mean, we did just get together,” he reminds.

Seungwan rolls her eyes. “You mean your dumbass selves finally got past all your emotional constipation to get together after almost ten years? Rather than a congratulations, I think you deserve a slap upside the head for being so stupid,” she retorts.

“Ouch,” Johnny winces. “You really got us there, Seungwan.”

“I speak nothing but the truth,” Seungwan sniffs.

Ten, however, is not nearly as nonchalant as his boyfriend— _boyfriend,_ he thinks with an internal giggle. That’s gonna take some more getting used to. “Wait, so you knew about college?” He demands incredulously. As far as Ten’s concerned, he never once mentioned knowing Johnny during college to anyone here. Or actually, now that he thinks about it, he does remember one person…

Whirling around until he faces the customer relations cubicles, Ten roars, “Soo!”

“Calm your dramatic ass down!” Sooyoung calls back, engaged with writing up some report. “I just told them everything I knew, like your obvious crushes on each other and that shit.”

Ten’s jaw drops. “So you knew that we liked each other all this time? Since _school?_ ” He gawks.

Sooyoung pauses to send him an unimpressed look. “Ten, do you know how obvious the two of you are? Literally everyone on both dance teams knew,” she deadpans in response.

Now it’s Johnny’s turn to look surprised. “Huh?” He blinks, caught off guard. “Everyone knew? Really? I thought I was good at hiding it?”

“Oh, fucking _please_ ,” Sooyoung rolls her eyes so hard Ten’s worried she’ll be stuck with the whites of her eyes like that forever. 

She tosses her pencil to the side and swivels her chair around until she’s facing them. With a judgmental brow raise, she points at Ten and condescendingly says, “You literally stared at Johnny with the biggest fucking heart eyes I’ve ever seen. If I had to judge your subtleness on a scale from one to ten, you’d be Taeyong’s flat ass.”

“Yeah, you did do that,” Johnny admits at the same time a very dumbstruck Ten splutters, “T-T-Taeyong’s flat ass…”

Sooyoung shifts her focus to Johnny. “And as for _you_ ,” she spits with narrowed eyes. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the way you turned down one of my teammates. I know you said you weren’t interested in dating, but I saw the way you immediately went back to staring at Ten’s ass right after rejecting her. You may think you’re slick, but we all saw through you. _All_ of us saw through you, you lumbering fool.”

“Lumbering fool?” Johnny echoes blankly.

But Sooyoung still isn’t done. She plants the toe of her stiletto into the carpet and pushes off, smoothly gliding their way in her office chair . How she even manages to possess that much control and refined grace, Ten will never know. What he does know, however, is that having an entirely unimpressed Park Sooyoung sailing their way with a face of impending doom is actually quite scary. Terrifying, in fact.

Sooyoung jabs her heel into the floor and comes to stop right at the sales desks. “In fact, you idiots should be thanking _me_ for you two ever getting together. _I_ was the mastermind behind all this, and it’s about time you all stop overlooking me just because I’m shoved into the corner with Taeil-oppa in customer relations!”

"What's wrong with being shoved into a corner with me?" Taeil protests.

"Nothing! You're great!" Sooyoung shouts back.

Ten furrows his brow. He’s always known Sooyoung was a bit weird, but literally what the hell is she talking about right now? “What do you mean, you’re the reason we got together?” Ten questions skeptically. “I mean, you knew us before, but what could you have done?”

“The fucking insolence,” Sooyoung sniffs, turning her head in disgust.

Seungwan sympathetically pats Ten on the shoulder. “Actually, she’s right; she really was the mastermind.”

“Yup,” Yuta nods in agreement. Mischief twinkles in his eyes as he pulls his phone out and taps on the screen a few times, then hands it over for Ten and Johnny to see.

 

_Roughly same aged friends 2.0 (sans Johnny and Ten because we’re trying to get them together)_

_Park Sooyoung: So guess what I just saw in the parking garage a couple minutes ago._

_Nakamoto Yuta: Your latest sleep paralysis demon?_

_Park Sooyoung: Yeah, fuck you too. But if you’re curious, it was Johnny and Ten in a car together. Obviously I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Ten suddenly choked and Johnny kept hitting his back to help him out. 30,000 won says they’ll be together very, very soon._

_Son Seungwan: Hey, that’s against the rules! No betting within a bet!_

_Kim Doyoung: Hmmm, actually it would be great if they could get together like, ASAP. My money’s on the line._

_Dong Sicheng: Well I just saw them walk towards a certain closet in the hall. Think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on in there._

_Son Seungwan: …_

_Son Seungwan: Please excuse me for a second._

 

“You made a new group chat without me?” Ten demands angrily. “So that’s why ‘Roughly same aged friends’ died? So you could all gossip about me?”

“We weren’t gossiping about you,” Yuta corrects cheerfully. “More like we were working together behind your back to make your life a little better.”

“How is that not gossiping about me?” Ten snaps in return. It’s not so much that he’s annoyed at them for making a new group chat, but he’s much more embarrassed at the thought that they all saw right through him this whole time when he thought he’d been so subtle about his lingering feelings. Guess that’s what they all meant when they called him oblivious.

Sooyoung’s glower deepens. “Typical—I do so much for you and I still receive no recognition or thanks!” She grumbles, crossing her arms defensively across her chest. “You ever wondered why it seemed like Seungwan had a crush on Johnny for a hot second then suddenly she didn’t? Didn’t that ever seem suspicious to you at all?”

Vaguely, Ten remembers a particularly low point during Johnny’s first month or two at the office. He recalls the ugly, jealous emotions swirling in his stomach whenever he saw Johnny and Seungwan speak to each other in English and laugh at something only they understood. That twisted feeling of betrayal when he saw Johnny seemingly ignore him in favor of pretty, hilarious Seungwan. Of course, he also remembers Seungwan chasing him around the building and thwacking him with a magazine for insinuating that she had a crush on Johnny. How could he ever forget that?

Seungwan wiggles her fingers in a taunt. “All just a ploy, darling Ten,” she simpers, blowing him a kiss for good measure.

Disgusted, Ten makes a point of swatting the gesture away. “You actually planned that? That’s so…that’s so… _evil_ ,” he pouts, flustered as he remembers how sulky he’d been those few days he’d thought Seungwan was a better fit for Johnny.

“Blame Soo for the evilness,” Seungwan says as she sympathetically ruffles Ten’s hair, much to his chagrin. “I never would’ve flirted with Johnny like that if she hadn’t told me to. No offense, but you’re really not my type,” she adds, directing that last part to Johnny.

“None taken,” Johnny shrugs, offering her an unbothered thumbs up.

Ten peers up at him with narrowed eyes. “How are you so calm about all this? Don’t you feel weird knowing our friends have been plotting about us for so long?”

Johnny merely lifts and lowers a single shoulder again. “Eh. I mean, that’s basically the spirit of these bets, anyway. All we do is conspire behind each others’ backs, so it figures we’d get a taste of our own medicine eventually,” he explains sagely.

Damn. Now that Ten really thinks about it, Johnny isn’t wrong at all. What’s the difference between him speculating on Jeno and Jaemin’s relationship or Yuta and Sicheng’s? Sure, maybe they’ve never resorted to creating new group chats before, but that’s because Ten and Johnny’s headassery really is unrivaled. So, yeah. There’s really nothing for Ten to be mad about—he’s a strong believer in the sentiment that you’d better be prepared to take what you dish out—except he can’t help but feel really, really, _really_ shy all of a sudden. So shy, in fact, that he hides his face in his hands and compresses himself against Johnny’s side to make himself smaller. “I’m so stupid,” he bleats, voice muffled.

An arm wraps around his shoulder. “There there, Ten,” Johnny soothes. “You’re not stupid; you’re just oblivious as fuck.”

Ten doesn’t hesitate to stomp on his foot. “Would it kill you to support me a little?” He complains, eye twitching when Johnny doesn’t even react to his attack.

“Ten,” Johnny deadpans, looking him straight in the eye (Ten may just be lost in his eyes because he’s the equivalent of the easily flustered female lead in a K-drama but that’s not important). “Everyone knows you’re oblivious. It’s not even a secret at this point.”

“Damn right it isn’t,” Sooyoung huffs, still glaring at them with the intensity of a million suns. “I spent so much time orchestrating everything that now I’ve had to push my wedding back. Which, depending on my mood, you two may no longer be invited to.”

“Whaaaaaa?” Ten cries out. “What d’you mean? What have I ever done to you, Soo?”

That was not the right thing to say. Sooyoung suddenly shoots out of her chair and starts pacing in circles, muttering venomously under her breath. “The audacity of this bitch,” she hisses. “You don’t even know the half of what I’ve done for you!”

“Like what?” Ten counters.

Again, that was the wrong thing to say. Sooyoung whips her head up and the words start shooting out of her mouth like bullets. “Who tipped off Jongdae about your slacking off and got you unpaid overtime, which Johnny then rescued you from? Who told him to go pick you and Jongdae’s drunk ass up even though Chanyeol already said he would? Who convinced Seungwan to trade your name for mine? Who hinted to Johnny to text you those pictures on Christmas Eve? Who did so much with actual subtleness—something _you_ could learn more of!—and is still being treated like nameless background character number three? _Huh_?”

There are a lot of things Ten could say right now that would make Sooyoung calm down. He could thank her because well, now that she’s told him everything, yeah she has done a lot behind the scenes. He could admit his obliviousness and accept his overall dumbness. He could just thank everyone for their shenanigans and then move on. But, as it so often happens, he focuses on the wrong part of her rant.

“Nameless background character number three?” He repeats blankly.

Everyone, including Johnny, facepalms.

The sound that escapes Sooyoung’s throat isn’t so much a frustrated groan as it is a fucking pterodactyl screech. Without warning, she spins on her heel—how does she even do that with those skinny five inch stilettos?—stalks back over to her desk, jerks open the contraband alcohol drawer, snatches a red wine cooler, and proceeds to chug it all at once.

“Um,” Chanyeol, or rather his head that’s sticking out of his personal office, timidly speaks up. “Should I be concerned?”

Baekhyun shoots him a sympathetic glance. “I’d sit this one out if I were you,” he advises solemnly.

Chanyeol opens his mouth to protest, then takes a second look at the fuming Sooyoung as she grabs a second wine cooler. “Yeah, I’m just gonna…yeah…” He trails off awkwardly. With an uncomfortable salute, he retreats back into his den and shuts the door behind him.

Sooyoung, meanwhile, is busy shrugging her blazer on and shoving her things into her bag. “I’m out for the day,” she announces, waving her wine cooler in the air for emphasis.

“Soo,” Seungwan guffaws, covering her laugh with a hand. “You realize it’s like, eleven, right?”

“I can’t deal with the lack of brain cells or respect in here anymore,” Sooyoung petulantly declares. “Besides, I’ve got a postponed wedding to finish planning and my job here is done. Y’all can delete the 2.0 chat and keep using the old one—or not, because I’m still mad at Ten.”

“Sorry, nameless background character number three,” Ten mutters under his breath.

“I _heard_ that, you little bitch!”

“I’m literally older than you!”

“Yeah? Well I’m taller!”

“Touché.”

 

Barring the whole mastermind Sooyoung mishap, the overall response from the rest of the team is positive. That’s probably due to the fact that everyone was either involved in or at least knew about the ploy, but Ten’s just glad that people are supportive.

“About damn time my son grew up,” Jongdae sniffs, pretending to brush a tear away. “Sunyoung, he’s finally pulled his head out of his ass!”

Sunyoung holds back a grimace. “I think you just ruined the moment with that last statement, but okay then.”

Ten stops typing for a moment to shoot the couple a skeptical look. “You do realize I’m not actually your son, right?”

“Oh, we know,” Sunyoung nods absentmindedly. “It’s just that Jongdae’s a tsundere who can’t admit his love for his friends, so he compensates by unleashing his paternal instincts. Simple, really.”

Then, in the middle of a phone call with a client, a paper airplane suddenly glided into his cubicle. Startled, Ten nearly slipped up and swore, then remembered he was still on the phone and quickly finished his call before further inspecting the plane. Scribbled on one of the wings were characters telling him to unfold it, which he obeyed with only a little confusion. 

_I see you’ve figured things out, too. Congrats! I’m so happy for you :D_

_-BBH_

_P.S. You’ve got a hickey on the side of your neck that might want to cover up ;P_

Ten immediately spins around to face Baekhyun’s desk. The secretary smiles innocently, then gestures to his neck. Flushing, Ten clamps a hand on his throat and awkwardly attempts to type with one hand.

But in all honesty, other than the initial congratulations, nothing actually happens. There’s no big fanfare or doting like with Jeno and Jaemin; everyone just kind of goes back to their day while Sooyoung ditches work entirely. It’s almost as if no one really cares that much because they all expected it to happen eventually—“We did,” Seungwan confirms in a deadpan when Ten brings this up to her. “Y’all are obvious as fuck.”

The way Ten sees it, the lack of reaction is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it’s a relief that there isn’t any big fuss or uproar other than a little teasing from Yuta and Seungwan every now and then. But on the other hand, he can’t help but feel a little unsettled—or maybe unsettled isn’t the right word, but more _unsure_. 

If their friends go around like nothing has changed, then how are Ten and Johnny supposed to act around each other? They can slap on the labels of “boyfriends” and “together”, but what does that actually mean? Is their dynamic supposed to change now that they’ve kissed a few times? Is it too soon to move further because they’ve only made things official a few hours ago even though they’ve been pining for each other for almost ten years now?

Taeyong hums thoughtfully as Ten rambles. He tilts his head to the side and with a wide-eyed, innocent expression, asks, “Is this about sex?”

The phone plummets to the ground. Red-faced, Ten lets out a high pitched wail as he picks it up and cradles the electronic as if it’s the most precious thing in the world. Once again he’s managed to get away with no cracks, but the sight of Taeyong’s shit-eating grin on his screen almost tempts him into dropping the phone again.

“Of course it’s not about sex!” Ten exclaims perhaps a bit too loudly. Hopefully his seventy year old neighbor is out, because the walls are awfully thin and he doesn’t want her to judge him more than she already does. “How old do you think I am, twelve? It’s not a matter of when or how I’m gonna climb those long legs like a tree—I can figure that much out for myself, thank you very much!”

“Okay okay, I’m just kidding,” Taeyong laughs reedily. By the angle of his camera, Ten can tell Taeyong’s lying flat on his stomach and kicking his feet in the air like the baby he really is. Blinking owlishly, Taeyong props his chin on his arm and murmurs, “I get what you’re saying, though. It’s like you’ve waited so long and now that it’s finally happened, you don’t know what to do next, right?”

“Bingo,” Ten grimaces, both relieved and unsettled by how easy it is for Taeyong to see right through him. Playing with the hem of his sweater, Ten ducks his head and mutters, “I mean, of course I’m happy that Johnny and I talked things out a bit and both want this to work. I’m fucking overjoyed, really. But then I thought about it a bit and now I’m like holy shit, I never planned this far. College me never thought he’d like me back in the first place; how was I supposed to think about what comes next? It’s great and all that we can make out now, but what else are we supposed to be doing now?”

Taeyong rolls his eyes in amusement. “Gee, I don’t know, Ten,” he drawls. “You’ve had boyfriends before, haven’t you? What typically happens once you get together, dummy?”

_Sex_ , Ten is about to blurt out. _Lots_ _of sex_.

But, because he is not a heathen and actually has some dignity and standards, Ten instead replies with, “I don’t know. Guess we go on a date or something?”

Taeyong’s expression is wholly unimpressed—seriously, why are so many people giving Ten that look these days—as he dryly says, “Then maybe you should start there, Tennie.”

In a softer tone, he adds, “Don’t worry too much about having a plan—those hardly ever work, anyway. Don’t even think about all your history, just pretend Johnny’s any other boyfriend and take things from there.”

Taeyong’s right, as he often tends to be. Ten’s dated plenty of people before with varying levels of commitment and never once gave it too much thought, but there’s just something about the fact that now it’s _Johnny_ that makes him desperate to get this right. And it’s not because it took them almost ten years to get to this point; even though he’s had a few serious romantic relationships before, he’s never felt quite so strongly for anyone the way he feels for Johnny. Maybe they ultimately won’t end up working, but Ten will be damned if he lets Johnny go without them trying their best.

“I really, really like him,” Ten admits in a small voice. “And I don’t want to mess this up.”

“Hey now,” Taeyong offers him a reassuring grin. “You probably already know this, but it’s obvious that he really, really likes you, too. You won’t mess up that easily, Tennie. Have a little more faith in yourself.”

“But if he ever messes up, I’ll jump on the next train to Seoul and beat him up for you. Swear on my life.”

Ten chuckles. “You’re barely any taller than me and those twiggy arms of yours can’t do shit,” he retorts cheekily, sticking his tongue out for good measure.

Taeyong huffs. “I mean, you did threaten to slit Jaehyun’s throat if he ever hurt me when we first started dating. Not like you’re capable of that, either.”

“Oh my god, I have the best idea—what if you sat on my shoulders and we teamed up? That way we could finally commit murder!”

“Ten, that’s an awful idea. But we should definitely keep it in mind for future reference— _ah!_ ”

Taeyong disappears from view for a few seconds as a larger body flops on top of him. Ten is forced to watch in mild disgust as stupidly handsome Jung Jaehyun plants kisses all over the top of his fiancé’s head, probably squishing the skinny guy in the process but oh well. Their domesticity has always been gross, except Ten is only amused rather than annoyed now—he totally isn’t imagining a _different_ couple doing the same thing. Not at all.

“Sorry about that,” Taeyong finally speaks up once Jaehyun’s stopped attacking him. Jaehyun’s chin is propped on top of his fiancé’s head as he smiles brightly and waves at Ten in way too pure of a manner.

“Hey, hyung!” Jaehyun greets, dimples peeking through on his cheeks. Ten doesn’t miss the way he absentmindedly runs his hand over Taeyong’s shoulder. “I’m still really sorry about leaving Seoul so early, by the way. I’d like to blame my supervisor, but it’s also my fault for being so guilt-trippable.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Ten waves his hand in dismissal. “Apologize to Yong—he almost had a mental breakdown over whether to stay with me or follow you home. Too much stress isn’t good for babies like him.”

“Hey!” Taeyong whines, mouth puckered in a pout.

Jaehyun merely nuzzles his cheek against Taeyong’s, causing the latter to turn red and flustered. “He’s my baby,” Jaehyun states proudly, staring at Taeyong with so much adoration Ten gags.

“We get it, you’re in love,” Ten grumbles with an exaggerated eye roll. “You’re gonna get married and have lots of children and grow old together and die holding hands, blah blah blah. Well newsflash, some of us are single and—”

Oh yeah. He isn’t actually single now.

Judging by the way Taeyong and Jaehyun burst into giggles, the grin on Ten’s face must be stupidly wide and embarrassing. “Whipped much, Tennie?” Taeyongteases.

_You can say that again._ “Shut up,” Ten groans. “Speak for yourself anyway, Yong. Your fiancé is literally lying on top of you and you’re not complaining.”

Jaehyun smiles innocently—Ten’s seen that look plenty of times and he knows better than to trust it. “Funny you mention that, actually. Because we’d totally be doing the same thing without clothes right now if someone weren’t cockblocking,” Jaehyun states shamelessly, earning himself a feeble slap on the arm from a red-faced Taeyong who, interestingly, isn’t denying anything.

“How am I a cockblocker? I was talking to Taeyong first!” Ten squawks, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing the heels of his palms against his eyelids to scrub that imagery out of his head. “For fuck’s sake, it was already bad enough that time I called and you kept having sex—have some shame, you degenerates!”

Ever so mature, Jaehyun responds by sticking out his tongue. And if Ten happens to hang up out of pure spite, that’s none of his best friend’s fiancé’s business.

 

For the most part, things go extremely smoothly after that. Ten takes Taeyong’s words to heart and relaxes, deciding that there’s no point in stressing too much. He likes Johnny and Johnny likes him, and even though relationships are, well, _relationships_ , they’ve got this.

Every morning, Ten steps outside at seven-thirty to find Johnny already parked by the sidewalk and waiting for him. Despite Ten’s initial protests (“I’ve been taking the subway for years, it’s fine!”), Johnny manages to wrestle him into the passenger seat anyway (“What’s the point of walking when you’ve got a personal chauffeur?” “I thought you were my boyfriend?” “Jongdae-hyung tells me that ‘slave’ is part of the boyfriend contract.” “What a wise man.”)

If they’re lucky, they arrive at the company garage with a few minutes to spare and take their sweet time with each others’ lips. More often than not, they’ll be interrupted by annoyed tapping on the window (“Stop sucking face at work, dumbasses!” Seungwan shouts through the glass). Then they’ll waltz in to the office with seconds to spare, lips bruised and pupils widened. Sometimes they’ll sneak off to the make out closet too, but unfortunately, it’s become a rather popular location as of late (“Lock the door next time, for god’s sake!” “There’s no lock!” Jaemin retorts sassily before going back to cutting off Jeno's circulation). When the clock strikes five, Johnny drives him back home and follows him up the steps to the apartment, where they sometimes watch TV, sometimes cook together, or sometimes continue where they left off earlier.

Their first date isn’t anything particularly special—just a simple dinner and a movie because they’re uncreative like that. Johnny almost succeeds in dragging them to a horror movie, but Ten chickens out at the last second and pulls him over to some animated feature instead. They’re definitely the oldest people besides the parents in the theater, but Ten greatly prefers that to screaming his head off every five seconds—he loves Johnny, and that’s why he’s not about to make the guy go deaf with his banshee-esque screeches (“Thanks for the consideration.”)

Johnny’s got a lot of work he needs to finish before January ends and he takes his leave, so unfortunately they don’t have much time to go on extravagant dates. But that’s fine with Ten—curling up on the couch against Johnny’s broad frame or holding his hand as they walk to the convenience store is enough to make him happy. Ten is a simple man when it comes to love; as long as it’s clear that the feelings are there and they’re trying their best, he doesn’t ask for much.

Johnny, though, is a bit more worried. “I just feel like I’m not treating you the way you deserve,” he expresses one evening as they cook pasta together—correction: Johnny is cooking alone after Ten nearly cut his finger chopping carrots. 

Stirring the pasta with one hand while dragging the other through his hair, Johnny sighs and laments, “I wish I could take you to a nice restaurant or go to Lotte or something, but there’s just not enough time to make reservations and it’s so unfair to you, Ten. Maybe I could talk to Manager Hwang and work something out—she’s not that strict, so I should be able to convince her to let me stay another month or two before going back. You know what, I should just—”

Ten, from where he sits on top of the counter with a bottle of wine in hand, fondly rolls his eyes. “Calm down, hyung,” he interrupts gently yet sternly. “You don’t see me complaining, do you?”

Johnny hesitates, glancing up from the food to lock eyes with Ten. How cute, Ten thinks amusedly. He’s seen plenty of sides to Johnny before, but never _nervous_. Guess there’s a first for everything.

“I’m not mad at all,” Ten reassures, but judging by the way Johnny bites down on his lip, he’s still not quite convinced. He scoots as close as he can without accidentally sitting on the stove and loosely loops his arms around Johnny’s neck, says, “Come on, don’t be so hard on yourself. Work is a bitch, but that’s unavoidable so I’m not holding any of that against you.”

The wine making him feel a little bolder than usual, Ten leans over and drops a quick kiss onto Johnny’s lips. “Life’s not always easy, but we’ve just got to deal with it. As long as you’re trying your best, I’m never going to blame you,” he murmurs, squeezing Johnny’s shoulder in comfort.

To Ten’s relief, Johnny’s posture relaxes and the anxious expression slips away to make room for a soft set to his eyes. “Okay,” Johnny concedes, shuffling closer until his forehead is resting against Ten’s collarbone. “I understand. For now we’ll keep at it, and when things have calmed down a bit, we can do all the things you deserve. Thank you.”

Ten tilts his head. “For what?”

He can feel Johnny’s smile tickling his collarbone. “Thank you for giving me this chance,” Johnny whispers. “Thank you for loving me, Ten. I love you.”

It takes everything within him to not choke on the overwhelming surge of emotion. Johnny _loves_ him, which Ten already knew but hearing the words out loud hits differently. “Motherfucker,” Ten croaks out, tempted to pound Johnny on the back for making his heart go through so much. 

Johnny pulls back with a smug smirk. “Isn’t this where you say you love me, too?” He jokes, but even he chokes up a little.

“Stop ruining the moment,” Ten groans, actually hitting Johnny on the chest this time. “Of course I love you, stupid.”

Considering this is the first time they’ve actually told each other the L-word, Ten has high expectations. Fireworks, preferably. A fanfare would be nice, too. Or at the very least, an emotional moment where time stops as they stare into each other’s eyes as some cliché ballad plays in the background. He expects something big, and like hell is he about to settle for any less.

But because this is Johnny he’s talking about, Ten has a feeling he’ll end up having to settle. Spoiler: He's right.

“Fuck!” Johnny suddenly yelps, shoving Ten aside with wide eyes. “The pasta!”

_Ah, yes_ , Ten thinks wryly, nursing his wine bottle as he eyes the overflowing pot and his panicked boyfriend. Turns out that as much progress they’ve been making recently, they’re still idiots at heart. Good to know that some things will truly never change.

 

_Kim Jongdae to Ten_

_Kim Jongdae: Child_

_Kim Jongdae: Son_

_Kim Jongdae: Favorite of mine_

_Kim Jongdae: The only reason I haven’t completely given up on the team yet is because I feel a paternal urge to watch over and care for you and make sure you’re okay_

_Kim Jongdae: WHY ARE YOU NOT REPLYING ARE YOU ALRIGHT ARE YOU KIDNAPPED ARE YOU DEAD???_

_Ten: Hyung, chill. My phone was dead and I just found the charger. But what’s up? Why are you so nice all of a sudden?_

_Kim Jongdae: Why are you so irresponsible how could you just let your phone die like that? Be more battery conscious for God’s sake, you fool._

_Ten: That sounds more like the Jongdae-hyung I know._

_Kim Jongdae: I don’t need that attitude from you, son._

_Kim Jongdae: Okay, but before I get distracted, let me get to the point._

_Kim Jongdae: The barbecue place we went to before, you remember where it is?_

_Ten: Uhhh, yeah? I think so, at least._

_Kim Jongdae: Great. Be there in exactly an hour or else I’m cutting your pay in half._

_Ten: Hyung, I’m pretty sure you don’t actually have that kind of power. I don’t even know if Chanyeol-hyung does, either, and you’re just his lackey._

_Kim Jongdae: Excuse me? Are you trying to start a fight? Because I’m not afraid to fight, midget._

_Ten: Right. Be there soon._

 

Jongdae narrows his eyes. “You’re late,” he grouses, glowering at Ten over his shot glass.

“Sorry, sorry. Traffic was a bitch,” Ten apologizes hastily, plopping down into an empty seat.

“What traffic? You can’t even drive,” Jongdae retorts.

In truth, Ten might have gotten a little distracted because of a certain Johnny Seo. Even though it was his second to last day, Johnny was still swamped with last minute paperwork to finish and had stayed behind at the office. Right as Ten had been about to leave, he’d gotten a text from Johnny that said, _Nothing like a late night in a haunted office._ There was also a selfie of Johnny pouting in the dark, which Ten may or may not have found so cute he’d squealed and rolled around on his bed while thrashing his feet in the air. But because he needs to maintain some dignity and is not about to admit that to Jongdae of all people, Ten plasters on a wide grin and channels his dumb bitch alter ego to say, “Oops?”

Jongdae’s obviously still not entirely convinced, but he shrugs and gestures to the side. “At least be a good son and greet your uncles, you disrespectful brat,” he chides.

“Uncles?” A low, amused voice chimes in. “Aren’t we still a bit too young for that?”

Another, considerably lighter and much more familiar voice laughs. “Guess that’s what happens when we enter our thirties,” Baekhyun remarks amusedly.

For the first time, Ten notices that he and Jongdae are, in fact, not alone. Their table has a booth seat on one side and two chairs on the other. Jongdae’s seated on the booth and Ten’s directly across from him, but next to Ten is Baekhyun and next to Jongdae is…

“Hi, Ten,” Do Kyungsoo greets, heart-shaped lips curling upwards. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Um,” Ten blinks, not entirely sure what or how to feel. Seriously, what the fuck kind of K-drama scene did he just walk into? “Um, was my invitation a mistake? Because I don’t know if you can tell, but I feel a bit out of place right now.”

Jongdae snorts. “Nonsense. You’re here because Baekhyun wanted to invite you to his early going away party. Insisted upon it, actually.”

“Dae!” Baekhyun complains, pointing his chopsticks accusingly at his best friend. “You can’t just expose me like that!”

“What? It’s the truth?” Jongdae replies easily. “Now shut up and eat your barbecue—I’m not paying out of the kindness of my heart, you know!”

Obediently, Baekhyun dips his head and picks at some ribs with his chopsticks.

Ten, however, is still stuck on one very confusing detail. “Um,” he repeats painstakingly slowly. “So I get why I’m invited then, but, uhhhhh, why is Kyungsoo-ssi here?”

“Because I invited him!” Baekhyun replies cheerfully.

“Yeah, but…” Ten trails off, thinking of the least offensive way to voice his thoughts. _He’s literally the ex-husband of your maybe someday_ is a bit insensitive, as is _Aren’t you highkey afraid of the guy?_ As it turns out, the only kind way to put it is a simple, “Why?”

“Because we're apparently friends now,” Kyungsoo supplies helpfully. Ten didn’t think it was possible to find someone with bigger eyes than Taeyong, but Kyungsoo in all his round-eyed glory is enough to prove him wrong. 

“Also,” Kyungsoo adds after a second of thought, “Baekhyun said Jongdae was paying, and I wasn’t about to turn down digging a hole in Dae’s wallet. Win-win situation.”

None of that explanation helped Ten whatsoever. “I’m still confused,” he states blankly.

The next thing he knows, Baekhyun’s stuffing the largest piece of beef into Ten’s mouth. “Shh,” Baekhyun coos as if speaking to one of the kids. “Be quiet and let the adults do the talking.”

“I’m still only four years younger than you,” Ten grumbles around his mouthful of admittedly delicious meat.

“Actually, Soo’s born in ’93,” Jongdae corrects.

Ten’s eye twitches. “That proves my point even more.”

Swiftly, Baekhyun shoves a lettuce wrap past Ten’s lips. With a saccharine smile, he tilts his head and sweetly says, “You can either hear us out or continue to be stuffed until you explode. Pick your poison!”

“Hyung,” Ten stares at him in horror. “I thought you were supposed to be the nice one.”

“Everyone’s got an evil side, Tennie dear,” Baekhyun winks.

To say Ten’s disturbed would be an understatement; he’s now seriously questioning every life decision that ever brought him to this barbecue restaurant with these three people. Either he’s got the weirdest luck in the world or the fates just really like fucking with him.

Baekhyun force feeds him some japchae for good measure, ignoring Ten’s muffled squawk of, “I can feed myself, thank you very much!”

“Stop torturing my son and just fess up already,” Jongdae complains, although he very interestingly doesn’t lift a finger to save Ten.

Kyungsoo nods in agreement. “Yeah, the poor guy might actually explode at this rate.”

“I’m only doing it to him because he’s my favorite junior,” Baekhyun sighs, but thankfully he redirects the pickled radish on his chopsticks into his own mouth.

“Not that I’m not honored or anything,” Ten pipes up, “but why exactly am I so many people’s favorite? I mean, I know I’m cute and all, but why me?”

Jongdae shrugs as he pours himself another shot. “No reason,” he replies smoothly—almost _too_ smoothly, in fact. “You’re just the least annoying, that’s all.”

“Yup,” Baekhyun nods vigorously. “Seungwan is too sassy and Yuta’s too unpredictable. Therefore, you’re the only option left.”

“But—“ Ten begins to protest, only for Baekhyun to stuff some rice into his mouth.

Kyungsoo shakes his head as he calmly pours himself some tea. “If I were you, I’d ignore them and just eat as much as you can. Help us dig that hole in Jongdae’s wallet,” he advises dryly.

Never one to say no to free food, Ten accepts his strange fate and, with a shrug, digs in.

 

_Ten to Johnny Seo_

_Ten: So I’m out at dinner with Jongdae-hyung, Baekhyun-hyung, and Kyungsoo-ssi._

_Johnny Seo: Say wha?_

_Ten: Right?_

_Johnny Seo: Is there any drama? Oooh have Kyungsoo and Baekhyun gotten into a catfight at any point? Is Jongdae egging them on?_

_Ten: No. Well, not yet at least. I think they’re both too mature for that, but if they did I’d totally put my money on Kyungsoo because he looks like he can cut a bitch._

_Johnny Seo: Yeah, but I bet Baekhyun is secretly super tough. He might look like a puppy but dogs have claws too._

_Ten: No they don’t dummy, they’ve got nails :)_

_Johnny Seo: Same thing._

_Ten: Actually it’s not, but I’m gonna have to leave you because Jongdae-hyung and Baekhyun-hyung are wasted right now and it’s hilarious, but I’ve also gotta make sure they don’t accidentally hurt themselves or anything. Talk to you later._

 

“Easy, hyung,” Ten coaxes, prying Baekhyun’s shot glass away from his fingers and sliding a glass of water over. “Think you should stop drinking for the rest of the night since you’re a lightweight and all.”

“Nottalightweight,” Baekhyun slurs totally convincingly, eyes glazed and unfocused. Not even a second later, his head droops onto Ten’s shoulder and the guy’s out like a light.

Ten shoots Jongdae a desperate look, mouthing _What do I do?_ The ever reliable and intelligent Jongdae shrugs, yawns, then plonks his head against the table and doesn’t show any further sign of life.

“Classic,” Kyungsoo tsks, poking Jongdae’s dead-to-the-world form with a fork. When the man still doesn’t move, Kyungsoo glances up to make eye contact with Ten and deadpans, “He thinks he’s so hot because he has a high tolerance, but he crashes faster than when he fell straight to hell.”

Now that Ten thinks about it, he vaguely recalls Jongdae once affectionately referring to Kyungsoo as “Satansoo”. Understandable.

Unbothered, Kyungsoo takes his sweet time in preparing another lettuce wrap. As expected, he’s a fairly quiet guy who listens more than he speaks. While Jongdae and Baekhyun cracked jokes and clinked their shot glasses together, Kyungsoo remained serene as he sipped his jasmine tea and quietly grilled the meat. The few times he did speak up were mostly to Jongdae and maybe once to Baekhyun, but never Ten. Now, though, when they’re the only conscious ones at the table, the silence looms dauntingly between them.

“So,” Kyungsoo says, popping his wrap into his mouth. “You’re from Thailand, right?”

Reflexively, Ten straightens his posture and nods. “Yeah, Bangkok. Came here for college and never left.”

Kyungsoo hums. “Ah, yes. Chanyeol and I went there for our third anniversary. Quite lovely—really is one of the happiest places on the planet. Wish we could’ve explored more, but Chanyeol got sick halfway through and I had to nurse him back to health because he’s overdramatic like that.”

“Oh,” Ten pauses awkwardly. The casualness of Kyungsoo’s tone suggests it’s no big deal to mention his ex-husband, but considering Ten is so accustomed to Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s whole will-they-won’t-they, it doesn’t feel right to talk like this.

Noticing Ten’s hesitation, Kyungsoo’s mouth thins to a line and he sighs, setting his chopsticks down and folding his hands together. “You don’t have to be so awkward around me, you know. I know Jongdae told you everything and I don’t have anything to hide, so relax already,” Kyungsoo scolds lightly, voice as even and level as ever. 

Embarrassed, Ten sags down in his seat and fiddles with his napkin. “Sorry,” he mumbles, averting his eyes from Kyungsoo’s potent gaze.

Soft snores escape from Baekhyun as he dozes off, head a warm weight in the crook of Ten’s neck. Now more than ever, Ten wishes for a hole to appear under his seat and whisk him away from whatever tense situation he’s been dragged into. Maybe if he kicks Jongdae hard enough in the shin, the assistant manager will wake up and liven up the atmosphere. But before he can even move, Kyungsoo lets out another weary sigh that captures Ten’s attention like a magnet.

“I know we don’t know each other,” Kyungsoo begins, carefully rubbing his thumbs together. “But Jongdae tells me a lot about his coworkers, and I’m assuming you’ve heard some stuff about me, too. So let’s cut the crap and stop being so awkward, okay?”

“Easier said than done,” Ten attempts to crack a playful joke, only for his voice to shake from how goddamn suffocating this whole situation is. _Could hyung just wake up already I wanna die._

The corners of Kyungsoo’s lips lift just the slightest. “You want to know why you’re Jongdae’s favorite?” He inclines his head conspiratorially, says, “It’s because you can’t hide anything, Ten. Because you wear your heart on your sleeve and even when you try not to make others worry, you’re still transparent as fuck.”

Ten reels back so violently Baekhyun falls onto his lap. _When hyung called him Satan he really wasn’t kidding_. “Did they say that or did you come up with that yourself?” Ten mutters through gritted teeth, fidgeting under the pressure of Kyungsoo’s stare.

“Both,” the wide-eyed man replies easily. “Jongdae’s always talking about how you try to keep your problems secret from others, but it’s so obvious when you’re going through a difficult time. He worries about you the most because of how vulnerable you are, which is why he pays so much more attention to you than anyone else. Dae’s a bit crass and isn’t good at showing affection without swearing up a storm, but he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care.”

“I already know that,” Ten cuts in. He may be oblivious, but he’s not stupid—of course he knows that as much banter goes on at the office, they care for each other like a real family. “But hyung doesn’t have to be so worried about me—I’m fine, really. Or maybe I wasn’t before, but I’ve been figuring things out now.”

Kyungsoo goes quiet as he pours himself more tea, his shot glass untouched the entire night. “If you say so,” he muses.

It’s petty and childish and he knows he’s going to regret it in about two seconds, but Ten’s too on edge to hold back his tongue as he snaps, “Well I do say so!”

Without batting an eye, Kyungsoo examines his teacup and emotionlessly remarks, “I see.”

Ten’s mouth goes dry. In all his life, he’s never met someone quite as indescribable Kyungsoo. _Mean_ is definitely too harsh, but even though he’s polite and respectful, _kind_ or  _nice_  sounds too warm. _Introverted_ for sure, judging by the way he seems perfectly comfortable keeping to himself in the midst of lively group dynamics. The way he stares with those wide, knowing eyes is a bit unsettling, but Jongdae did mention that that’s just Kyungsoo’s astigmatism and not a sign of actual hatred. Even calling him _cold_ doesn’t feel quite right, because it’s not as if he has his hackles raised or outwardly pushes Ten away. He’s not _weary_ either, as evidenced by his posture that, although perfect, is relaxed rather than stiff. But he’s not exactly _chill_ either, since he is a bit closed off. So what is he?

All Ten can say for sure is that Kyungsoo is one hell of an enigma.

“Can I be honest with you?” Kyungsoo speaks up at last, tone completely neutral.

Still at a loss for words, Ten holds his breath and nods.

Kyungsoo observes him with contemplative eyes—no, Ten realizes with a jolt. He’s not the object of Kyungsoo’s attention;  _Baekhyun_ is. 

“I know he used to be afraid of me,” Kyungsoo declares, then passively lifts and lowers a shoulder. “It didn’t bother me too much since I didn’t have anything against him, so I gave him space. Even when he started working for Chanyeol, I didn’t care and let him be.”

“But if you were to ask me how I feel about him now, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t resent him just a bit.”

Protectively, Ten clamps a hand on the sleeping man’s shoulder. “Because Chanyeol loves him?” He dares to ask, well aware that he may just have a death wish.

Kyungsoo remains indifferent as he locks eyes with Ten. “Yes and no. I have no right to dislike Baekhyun for his relationship with my ex-husband, but I hold a grudge against him for being a better person than I’ve ever been.”

“I may not look like it, but I’m a sad, sad man, Ten,” he smiles humorlessly. “I can go about fixing Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s problems all I want when in reality, I still wake up every morning expecting the other side of the bed to be warm. It’s been two years but the coldness still kills me every day and I miss him as much as I did the day we left each other. That’s how miserable I am, but even if does Jongdae suspects anything, I hide it well enough that no one notices.”

“When Chanyeol told me he didn’t love me the same way anymore, I should’ve done the right thing by accepting defeat. Instead I dismissed his honesty and told him his feelings were wrong—I insisted he was just confused and didn’t know what he was talking about. I told myself that even though I was being selfish, the fact that I loved him made it okay. I couldn’t let him go, and in the end that didn’t change anything but we both suffered so much more.”

Kyungsoo’s hands squeeze into fists as his gaze drops back to Baekhyun’s peaceful figure on Ten’s lap. “I couldn’t let Chanyeol go until it was too late, but Baekhyun can. He knows there’s a chance he and Chanyeol might never end up together despite their mutual feelings, yet he’s willing to take that risk anyway for both of their sakes. He’s braver than I ever was, and that’s why I can’t help but resent him.”

"I feel like I've been floating through these past few years of my life without really knowing what I'm doing. One day, I’m going to wake up and miss Chanyeol a little less, and with each day it’ll get easier. And then one morning I won’t miss him at all. When that happens, it’ll be the best and the worst day of my life.”

_It’s unfair_ , is all Ten’s mind can come up with. Unintentionally, his fingers tighten around Baekhyun’s shoulder, causing the man to let out a sleepy grumble as he shifts to a more comfortable position, pushing the back of his head against Ten’s stomach. _So fucking unfair_.

It’s unfair that Chanyeol fell out of love with Kyungsoo. It’s unfair that Kyungsoo tried to hold onto him for too long. It’s unfair that Baekhyun had to go through years of repressing his feelings only for the timing to still not be quite right. It’s unfair that although he knows he’s lost Chanyeol, Kyungsoo still loves him. It’s unfair that even now, their futures are still so unclear.

_People are shitty and life is unfair_ , Jongdae once lamented. _It’s not an excuse, but more like some morbid, twisted reasoning that has the misfortune of being the truth._

Now more than ever, Ten understands what Jongdae means. Hearing Baekhyun wax poetic about letting people grow and maybe somedays is beautiful and inspiring and uplifting, but being exposed to Kyungsoo’s predicament grounds Ten back to reality. Happy endings aren’t always real, and if they are it takes god knows how long to reach them. Even on the one in a million chance Baekhyun and Chanyeol reunite after they’ve both grown, that won't erase all the heartbreak and unfairness that had to occur in order for that to happen.

It’s unfair, but the funny thing is, Ten doesn’t feel particularly saddened by it. 

“I hope you find what you’re looking for, Kyungsoo-ssi,” he says quietly, relaxing his grip on Baekhyun. “I really hope you do.”

Kyungsoo’s imperceptible stare isn’t quite so intimidating now. And when his heart-shaped lips curve into a small, barely there smile, Ten feels like he can breathe again.

“I see why Jongdae likes you so much,” he comments lightly. “Thank you for listening to my sad old man rambling, Ten. I hope you can find whatever you may be looking for, too.”

The spell is broken when a loud snore rips through the air. Kyungsoo shoots Jongdae a fond glare and smacks his best friend on the back a little harder than necessary. “I guess that’s my cue to take the drunkards home,” he sighs, finishing his last cup of tea before looping his arm around Jongdae’s shoulders. To Ten, he says, “Mind getting Baekhyun? I’ll just drop him off at Jongdae and Sunyoung’s.”

Somehow, the two shortest men— _barely_ the shortest, Ten would like to point out—manage to drag Jongdae and Baekhyun to Kyungsoo’s car and lug the knocked out best friends into the backseat. Kyungsoo makes sure to give Jongdae’s leg that’s sticking out one last shove before closing the door. He wipes his hands on his jeans then turns back to Ten. “You need a ride? It’s a bit late for public transportation,” Kyungsoo offers.

Ten waves the proposition off. “Nah, I have a boyfriend who admits he’s my personal chauffeur. It shouldn’t take too long for him to get here, so don’t worry about me.”

Kyungsoo knits his brows together in concern. “I’ll wait with you until he gets here, then,” he decides, crossing his arms and leaning against his car. “Not that I don’t trust your boyfriend, but it’s not safe to be alone this late.”

Perhaps _kind_ isn’t inaccurate, after all. Suppressing a grin, Ten nods and pulls out his phone to text Johnny.

 

“So nothing happened?”

“Mmhmm,” Ten nods absently, busy staring out the window.

“There weren’t any catfights? No broken shot glasses thrown down in rage?”

“Dude, they’re like thirty-one. I sure hope they’d be beyond that.”

“Did you just dude-zone me? _Ten,_ of all people? After you mocked me so relentlessly on Christmas Eve?” Johnny gasps dramatically, taking his hand that wasn’t on the wheel anyway and clutching it over his heart.

Ten rolls his eyes. “Consider it karma,” he snickers.

He can see Johnny’s reflection in the window sparing him a quick, soft glance. “Did you have fun, at least? Were they nice to you?”

“Well,” Ten chews on his lip as he ponders over the experience. “Jongdae-hyung is Jongdae-hyung, and Baekhyun-hyung is Baekhyun-hyung. They both fell asleep because of how drunk they were, so I had to talk to Kyungsoo for a bit. He’s pretty interesting.”

“Oh?” Johnny lifts a brow, intrigued. “How so?”

Ten shifts his gaze until he’s staring straight ahead, the city lights gleaming bright likes stars. Rather than directly answer the question, he chooses to remark, “You know, I thought I had this whole adulting thing figured out, but now that I think about it, I’ve realized there’s still a lot for me to learn. But like, I’m okay with not knowing everything, if that makes any sense.”

Johnny’s free hand catches one of his. “It does,” he assures tenderly. With his eyes still on the road, he gives Ten’s hand a squeeze and says, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; adulting’s overrated. We should be able to grow without sacrificing all of our childish aspects. We’re all just winging life anyway, so might as well lean in and enjoy ourselves while we’re at it. I mean, what’s the point in worrying so much over every little thing? We’ll all be okay eventually.”

“And if you ask me, you’re doing more than alright, Ten.”

The second Johnny’s pulled to a stop outside Ten’s apartment complex and shifted the gear to park, Ten doesn’t hesitate to lean over and press a long kiss against Johnny’s mouth. But before the latter can reciprocate, Ten pulls back and, with a devious smirk, seizes Johnny by the tie. “If you want any more of that, you’ll have to spend the night,” he simpers, satisfied by the way his boyfriend’s eyes widen.

Safe to say, he’s never seen Johnny get out of the car faster.

The last six months have been eventful, to say the least. Taeyong moving to Jeonju, Johnny’s surprise return, Yuta and Sicheng’s whatever’s going on, Chanyeol’s secret kid, Baekhyun’s new dream…the list goes on, and more will be undoubtedly added in the near future. People are coming and going all the time and life goes on. Admittedly it’s all a bit overwhelming, but Ten’s glad for everything’s that happened. Because even though he still doesn’t quite have his life figured out and probably never will, he’s not worried. Why should he have to know, anyway? Shit happens, the big guy up there likes throwing curveballs, it only takes a split second for everything to change—life’s too short to meticulously plan out every detail only for the unexpected to screw things up. Part of adulting is getting shit together, but an equally essential part is learning how to adapt to whatever obstacle springs up next.

He’s no longer that bitter, insecure college junior scrambling out of a truck without looking back; he believes—he _knows_ —he’s grown up enough to understand himself and others a little better. And that’s the key to becoming a better adult.

 

“Hey,” Ten murmurs later when they’re wrapped up in the sheets together. “I wanna ask you something.”

Johnny shifts, head lolling tiredly against his pillow. “Go ahead,” he yawns, tugging Ten closer. 

Pleased with the additional warmth, Ten rests his head on Johnny’s bare chest and throws an arm over his midriff. “Why were you searching for a home for so long?” He questions.

“Oh,” Johnny hesitates, breathing stilled. “Well, it’s really not all that deep, actually.”

Ten hums, waiting for the rest of the answer.

There’s something almost _shy_ in Johnny’s voice when he speaks up again (the irony of that when he most certainly hadn’t felt shy at any of the _scandalous_ things they’d just been doing). “Honestly, it’s not a big deal. It’s just, well, constantly rotating between living in Chicago and Seoul made it a little harder for me to feel connected to either. Like, I was too American to be Korean but also too Korean to be American. Then teenage angst hit in and I convinced myself I didn’t belong anymore, that stuff,” he mumbles. Johnny’s ears are tinted pink as he adds with a self-conscious laugh, “Guess that teen angst carried over for a while, because I kept thinking I would never find an actual home. Turns out I didn’t have to in the end, anyway.”

“Sorry,” Johnny groans as he buries his face into the pillow. “I’m emo, I know. It’s such a stupid thing and I let it hold me back for so long. I’m an idiot, yeah yeah.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” Ten interjects. Fascinated, he traces Johnny’s collarbone with the tips of his fingers, His heart swells when Johnny shivers under his touch, which is enough to spur him on to say, “Your feelings are completely valid, hyung. You’re an idiot, sure, but you’re never stupid for feeling lost.”

“But,” he adds, pausing in his ministrations. Slowly, he whispers, “If you ever feel like that again, you’d better tell me so we can work things out. The farthest I’m letting you go is Incheon—if you ever so much as _think_ about moving to Busan or something, I’ll have to kill you.”

Johnny’s laughter vibrates through his chest. “Of course you would,” he chuckles. 

Suddenly, a spike of guilt stabs through Ten’s heart when he remembers Kyungsoo. _I couldn’t let him go, and in the end that didn’t change anything but we both suffered so much more._

Tentatively, Ten cranes his neck up so he can leave the lightest of kisses on Johnny’s jaw. “Okay, that’s actually a bit unfair,” he admits sheepishly. “What I really mean is, I totally support you and your life decisions. Let the wind carry you in whichever direction and all that stuff. So while I’d prefer for us to be as close as possible distance-wise, if you ever do feel the need to go somewhere else…I’ll understand.”

The look Johnny sends him is so overwhelmingly fond and full of love Ten’s head spins. “Already trying to get rid of me, Ten?” He teases, that annoying grin plastered on his dumb face.

“I’m serious!” Ten complains. “You can’t let me hold you back! If you ever really want to leave I’ll obviously be sad, but I won’t stop you because I just want you to be happy. You just can’t pull a funny one on me, okay? You’ve got to tell me how you’re feeling and we can figure it out. Like, shit, we’re both close to thirty after our birthdays next month, so that means we’re definitely old enough to be mature adults. I’m not gonna ditch you just because—”

Tired of the rambling, Johnny silences him with a kiss. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” he promises. “But for now, I’m not leaving any time soon.”

“Your last day with us is literally tomorrow.”

“…”

“Mmhmm.”

“After I leave tomorrow I’m not leaving any time soon.”

"That's what I like to hear."

 

_Best <3 Family <3 Ever <3_

_Kim Jongdae: Good morning, I’ve never been this hungover before in my life so I’m sacrificing a sick day to skip work. Apologies to @Johnny Seo for missing his last day, but I hope you’ll understand._

_Johnny Seo: Oh, no problem hyung. It’s all good—I’ll probably end up visiting after I go back to Incheon, anyway._

_Kim Jongdae: Ah yes, to see your midget of a boyfriend. Again, I’m sorry for not being able to properly say goodbye._

_Kim Jongdae: By the way, why is this still the group chat name? It’s kinda gross now that I think about it._

_Park Chanyeol: Jongdae. Even though I made this chat in the first place you stole my phone and changed yourself to the only admin, meaning YOU’RE the only one able to change the name._

_Kim Jongdae: Huh. This is true._

_Kim Jongdae: Any new name suggestions though? The last one was a bit long and I’m too lazy to remember or type it all out._

_Son Seungwan: Ooh, I’ve got something good. Make me an admin and I’ll change the name myself._

_Park Sooyoung: @Kim Jongdae I wouldn’t trust her if I were you._

_Ten: @Kim Jongdae if you really think of us as your children you wouldn’t do it_

_Kim Jongdae: Please, what’s the worst that could possibly happen?_

_Kim Jongdae made Son Seungwan an admin_

_Son Seungwan: Perfect._

_Nakamoto Yuta: Somehow I’ve got a bad feeling about this_

_Son Seungwan changed the group name to “supposed to be a family except there’s an awful lot of inner fucking going on”_

_Ten: Christ_

_Mark Lee: This chat needs Jesus._

_Kim Jongdae: …on second thought this is the worst that could possibly happen_

_Kim Jongdae removed Son Seungwan as admin_

_Kim Jongdae changed the group name to “a bunch of unproductive idiots”_

_Son Seungwan: Boooooo that’s boring_

_Kim Jongdae: but AM I WRONG???_

_Son Seungwan: No comment_

_Park Chanyeol: @Kim Jongdae please make me admin again_

_Kim Jongdae: Hehehehehehe NO_

_Kim Jongdae: Hello, this is Sunyoung. I’ve confiscated Jongdae’s phone for the rest of the day because he’s already an idiot but he’s even dumber when hungover. I’ll see you at work in a few._

_Park Chanyeol: Okay cool but CAN YOU MAKE ME ADMIN AGAIN I’M THE MANAGER FOR CHRIST’S SAKE_

_Kim Jongdae: Sorry, can’t hear you. -SY_

_Park Chanyeol: This is a conversation over text._

_Kim Jongdae: Still not gonna happen. Gotta have my husband’s back on some things. -SY_

_Park Chanyeol: Hey @Johnny Seo mind taking me to Incheon with you?_

_Johnny Seo: You kidding? Manager Hwang is irreplaceable._

_Park Chanyeol: My life sucks._

 

“Gross,” Sicheng sniffs as he walks in on Johnny and Ten making out in the break room. He stalks past them on his way to the fridge and glowers, says, “Isn’t there a designated closet for that?”

“Interns beat us to it again,” Ten sighs sadly.

“Then go make out in the bathroom.”

“Ew,” Johnny wrinkles his nose. “That’s unsanitary.”

Sicheng’s eye twitches. “Then how about being professional and not kissing in the workspace at all?” He suggests dryly.

Ten pouts, giving Sicheng his best puppy eyes. “But it’s Johnny-hyung’s last day here. Cut us some slack, Sichengie!”

“Fine,” Sicheng grunts, still glaring daggers at the pair. “People like you are the reason why I hate couples.”

Perhaps Ten should consult Jaehyun about his chronic foot in the mouth syndrome, because the next—and perhaps last—thing to come out of his mouth is, “Yeah, like you’re not secretly dating Yuta!”

The tin lunchbox in Sicheng’s hands clatters to the floor. Johnny smacks his hand to his forehead and Ten’s eyes widen in horror at the realization of what he just said.

Silence. Complete, utter, dead silence.

Slowly, unnervingly, Sicheng cocks his head to the side and aims his piercing scowl at Johnny. “You _told_ him?” He demands, voice rising in anger.

Not one to let his boyfriend’s name be tarnished, Ten meekly raises his hand and corrects, “Actually, I found out by myself. I saw you kiss him in the elevator a few months back, but don’t worry I didn’t tell anyone. Well Seungwan knows because she was with me when I saw you, but I promise she didn’t tell anyone either. Except just between us, mind telling me when you two actually got together? Because there’s a chance Dons might have won again and I’d really rather not—”

“Ten,” Sicheng cuts in, voice frigid like ice. “Shut the fuck up.”

At that moment, Yuta just so happens to stroll in. “Hey, what’s up?” He greets with his usual big smile. Then he pauses, quirking a brow at the tension in the air. “Uh, did something happen?”

Because Ten knows he’s about to get murdered by a certain Chinese man regardless and has lost any sense of self-preservation, he points an accusing finger at Yuta and demands, “Why are you hiding your relationship, huh?”

Yuta’s mouth parts in surprise, but before he can say anything, an unearthly shriek slices through the air. The next thing Ten knows, Sicheng is approaching their table at a slow, deliberate pace as if he were hunting a wild animal. The gleam in his eyes is practically feral, freezing Ten in place.

“I’d leave right now if I were you,” Johnny mumbles under his breath. 

Ten, however, still can’t move. That’s not Sicheng coming for him—that’s a fucking demon with flaming charcoal for eyes, ready to reap souls and send them to the pits of hell. 

Johnny quickly pecks him on the lips for what could possibly be the last time. “Seriously, like _now_.”

Fight or flight instincts finally kicking in, Ten does the only thing he can think of: he runs for his goddamn life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, can't believe we actually made it here.
> 
> Out of all the stories I've written so far, I think this one has been my favorite. In a sense, I see this as an improved version of my first fic Sometimes Sweetly, Sometimes Achingly (which is why I've scrapped the sequel for that one). I've had a lot of fun writing something a little more lighthearted, and I hope you've enjoyed the considerable lack of angst compared to my other works.
> 
> I've still got plenty of stories up my sleeve, so keep an eye out for me! The Yuwin sequel is up next on my agenda, and it will have fewer chapters (probably around 7-8). Something I've also been a bit frustrated by was that I added too many characters in the office but only really developed some of them, so the sequel will focus a bit more on some of the less developed team members. And, of course, you'll finally find out why Sicheng's so mad lol. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope I was able to help anyone struggling with adulting (e.g. me) and that we can all grow to be the best versions of ourselves.


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